Ever Have One Of Those Days...?

You know the kind I mean...where the smallest and most innocent of activities can lead to some really embarrassing moments? Well, it appears that we humans aren't the only ones that have them. This horse is having a really bad day just because he wanted to explore the fork in this tree.

Sorta makes you feel like you are not totally alone in all this mess, doesn't it? I mean, if you and me and even horses can have these kind of days when all we wanted to do was just have a little bit of fun, live our lives, and NOT get our heads stuck in places they shouldn't be...then obviously the world just isn't fair!

Luckily, a friendly passing rancher just happened to see the trouble this poor guy was in and stopped to help. With a carefully placed chain saw, the rancher was able to remove the tree branch from around the poor horse's head, but not before snapping a couple of pictures.

Maybe some poor passing rancher will stop and lend us a hand...oh, sorry! I forgot. Ranching is being run out of business because of additional taxation by the government to pay for banking bailouts and new road construction and auto industry bailouts...

Looks like we are on our own! So why don't we just sit back, relax and take a deep breath, and I'll put on a fresh pot of coffee...!

Baby Sis's Birthday...!!

Yep! Today is my baby sis's birthday...

I don't think I'm supposed to tell how old she is, but I'll just say she is younger than I am. Come to think of it...dirt is younger than I am!

Anyway, I want to wish her a very happy birthday today!

Now...I want to share with you another recipe from the 1936 cookbook I've been reading. These recipes are from a time when folks made do with what they had, and very little got wasted. Most of these came from country folks, just doing the best they could.

I haven't tried this recipe, but as you know, I like peanut butter so I may give it a shot. Who knows? In a worse case scenario, it could come in handy!

Creme of Peanut Soup

Mix together 2 tablespoons peanut butter and 2 tablespoons flour.

When throughly mixed, add 1 quart of milk and heat in double broiler.

Season with salt and pepper. Beat with a Dover (?) egg beater before serving.

Now, like I said I haven't tried this...so I'm not responsible for any internal injury you may suffer while eating this soup! Also, if you get a bad case of gas...please step outside before taking steps to get rid of it, if you know what I mean...

Now how about a fresh cup of coffee to go with that soup, my friend?

A Little Treasure From The 1930's

I found this bit of humor in a cookbook full of recipes from as far back as 1936...

I just thought some would get a kick out of it! I know I did...

HOME BREW

Chase wild bullfrogs for three miles, then gather up the hops.

To them add ten gallons of tan bark, 1/2 pint of shellac and one bar of homemade soap.

Boil for 36 hours, then strain through an I.W.W. sock to keep it from working.

Add one grasshopper to each pint to give it a kick.

To test, pour a little in the kitchen sink; if it takes the enamel off, it's ready for bottling!

Now while that is aging, let's go get some fresh coffee, OK?

How About A Quicky...??

Just a quick note to let you know about this nice little site I found!
$5Dinners is the name, and right now they have a give-away going for a Kroger gift card!

Could help with some preps, I'm thinking...can't hurt to check it out, ya know?

All In How You Percieve It...!

You know...trying to explain to someone who is a nonbeliever the reasoning behind why you prep is like selling ice to an Eskimo ...!

I tend to think of prepping like planning for an extended camping trip. I used to go camping a LOT, and I don't remember ever going hungry or running out of something due to a lack of planning! However, one thing that I have seen very little mention of in most of the blogs is...entertainment!

For those that have families, especially younger children, some form of entertainment is almost mandatory. Be it games, books, crayons, whatever...it is as vital to the mental and emotional health of all concerned. Ever been cooped up in a car on a long trip with a bored child? How about being snowed in with several active children for days at a time? I can guarantee that if you don't have some form of distraction and entertainment for them, you'll soon wish that you did!

And it's the same for adults. Setting aside food, medicine, firewood, and all the other things needed for extended self reliance is a good thing! A necessary thing given the times we live in. But without something to break the cycle of worry or concern or cabin fever feeling from time to time...you are in for some even rougher times ahead!

My suggestion is this...if you are married, sit down with your spouse or partner and discuss what your individual likes and dislikes might be, entertainment wise, for an extended camping trip. Then discuss the same things for the children, including them if they are old enough. After the discussion, just plan accordingly and include some form of pleasant entertainment in your preps!

Oh, and if I may say one more thing here...never forget that any situation out of the ordinary adds extra stress to any environment. Try as we may to hide this from the children, they will ALWAYS pick up on additional stress or anger or negative feelings to a certain degree. Children are very intuitive, more than we give them credit for sometimes. Keeping this in mind, try and stay as positive as you can. Positive attitudes attract positive results!

Whatever the situation, whatever the reason for extended enclosure ...try and put a little "alone time" in the schedule. A few moments alone in total peace and quiet can do wonders for both the mind and body. Allow every member of your particular tribe, or group, or family, or mob the same "alone time" if they wish it. Believe me, it will pay off in the long run!

Even though I am single living only with two cats as "roomies", they understand when I really don't want to deal with them, and I pick up on their "leave me the hell alone" feelings as well! Life can be good when you deal with it in a positive frame of mind!

Now, speaking of a positive frame of mind...let's go get some fresh coffee!

Food For Thought...

No pun intended with the headline, OK?

As if we needed any more of a reason to grow what we can of our own food, this little video should be a validation for us. Here is a professional telling us what we already know. This is some sobering stuff, and worth repeating!

Certainly got my attention...




This video makes some very valid points, in my opinion. So, when getting all the preps together let's not forget those seeds...preferably some Heirloom seeds.

That's all for now. What do you say to a fresh cup of coffee, my friend?

A Time For Reflection...!

Well, it's the first day of the new year and time for me to look at my plans for the immediate future...

First, let me say that I'm a simple man. I don't ask for much, nor do I expect it. Like most people, I've had a dream for a long time of having some land in the country paid for...not a big spread, just big enough so that I could move myself and my family out to it and live a simple life.

The only problems with that idea were that no one shared my enthusiasm for them. When I was married the last time, my wife and I discussed this idea at great length. She was really behind the idea...or so I thought!

We ended up buying 13 acres in east Texas, just 6 miles outside of her home town. The land was all woods (mostly hardwoods with some pine), had a small creek running through one side, and was about a half mile from the small lake outside of town. Perfect!

Since we were living in Austin at the time, the wife and kids (2 step children) stayed in Austin, and I got out of the cab business, sold all of my cabs, and moved to east Texas. I put a small travel trailer on the property, had some of the trees selectively cut and sold them to a tree harvester, and started work on the property.

I had got a full time job at that time as the sporting goods manager at W**-Mart, an ideal job for someone living in the country that liked to hunt and fish. I would work all day at the store, drive home to my small trailer, work on pulling stumps and clearing brush, running all the water lines from the county road at the property's edge by hand, took care of getting the electric company set up and power run to the trailer. Took me the better part of a year to get a place cleared and cleaned where we wanted the cabin.

I met a lady in town whose husband had died and who had a 2 story barn shaped workshop in her back yard. She said if I would tear it down, I could have the wood if I would haul it off. So I did just that! Hauled that lumber out to my place, pulled nails, organized boards by size, burned the bad ones in my wood burning stove and heater (my wife's uncle had given me one) and with my then father in law's help, laid out the stakes and ground work for the cabin.

During this time, the wife and kids would come and visit off and on...never staying very long. That is, until the time came to start building. Somehow I lost all control and input as to how I wanted things done. The wife moved down with the kids, her brother showed up for a visit with some friends and nail guns and plans, the father in law came over daily...everybody started building . The framework, sub flooring, walls, roof, windows, outside doors...everything was completed in 2 days time. Most of which, I was at work and not included in the construction.

Now, don't get me wrong...I appreciated the help...but didn't like the fact that everything was done to conform to how everyone but me thought the cabin should be done. Short version of the rest is that after the framing, all left. I did the rest...the siding, tin roof, the whole thing.

Four months later while I was at work, the wife packed up the kids, took what she wanted, threw everything else in the front yard and started a fire with it, and left. No note, no explanation, just gone. Just me and the dog left in the dream cabin (unfinished) in the woods near the wife's home town.

Within a year, I had lost my job, my family, my cabin and land, my dog was killed by a wandering pack, my truck blew up, I had heart trouble and had to leave the country and move back to Houston to be close to the V.A. and slowly began to dream and plan all over again.

That is when HermitJim came about. I learned a lot of lessons during that year! Lessons I won't soon forget...

No more letting others take over my dreams and plans. No more letting others decide my future. No more trying to shape what and who I am to please others. No more living in places I don't really want to live in. In short, what you see is what you get. If you ask, I'll share my plans...but they are NOT open to discussion.

I don't do crowds. I don't do clubs. I don't do anything to put myself in harms way just to impress or show off. If you don't like what I say, don't listen. If you don't like what I do, don't watch. If you don't like my lifestyle, I DON'T CARE !!! It's mine, not yours.Got it? Good!

Sorry for the long winded post...just wanted to get that off my chest first thing this year! I appreciate you taking the time to read my little rant...

Now, let me buy you a cup of coffee, my friend!