Well, maybe not all of us. But those few... you know who you are. I was out running around, getting caught up on blogs I love (yes, it's one in the morning and I have church tomorrow, I know. Shush.) I came to SCHOLA, and L has posted some great emergency preparedness links, ideas, and such. Gracious commenters have also added their favorites, and it's just a fun, fun way to blow an hour and a half in the middle of the night!
I'm sure it's obvious to regular readers where Zorak and I stand on the government reliance aspect of life, and the importance of being ready and willing to do what you can for yourself when called upon to do so. We also believe in the importance of being prepared to help your neighbors when they need it ("neighbor" being a pretty all-encompassing term for us). When Zorak made a Wal-Mart run for creamer and fresh ammo and came home with his and hers ammo, my heart fluttered in a way that only fellow PAF folks can understand. So, yeah, the whole preparedness thing rates pretty high for us, and it played a large role in our search for our Forever Home.
I had to come back and blog, though, because L's post reminded me of one of the things I learned about my mother after she passed away. As Zorak and I ploughed through the eighty bazillion books she'd collected over the years, we noticed a pretty interesting trend. My mother -- the woman whose happiest moment that I can recall was the day she found shoes and earrings in *celery green* that coordinated perfectly with her favorite pant suit -- owned more Self-Reliance and Preparedness books than a good Mormon bookstore! It was an astounding realization as we found book after book on methane gas conversion for the home, living off the grid, and canning-for-the-future themed books. Wow. My mother, my civilized, slightly ecentric, happily pampered mother... of all people... fostered dreams of self-reliance.
Pages are dog-eared from years of being thumbed through again and again, notes are in many of the margins, and some of the books have little notes tucked in them with things like her favorite canning recipes, or tips on how to make jerky in the oven and how to store potatoes.
Of course we kept them. And we cherish them. Not just for the information they were printed to share, but also for the information about my mother that they shared. You just never know all there is to know about a person, even if you live with her for twenty years. Even if you think you know so much. It's a pretty cool reminder of just how diverse and interesting each person really is, and what each of us has to offer the world that we may never bother sharing. It's reminded me to get to know people on different levels of themselves, and also that I should dig deep from time to time and share whatever there may be inside worth sharing. What a rich, complete, and wonderful world that could create!
Anyhow, no real point to blogging this. But the thought made me smile, and maybe that was worth sharing.
Kiss those babies!
~Dy
5 comments:
As soon as I read the title of this post, it was like there was a star in the sky pointing the way towards our house. (I know, this probably surprises you. *grin*) Roscoe informed me yesterday that we've gotten soft and we're going to get back into survival mode, stockpiling food and getting more guns. When he has me decked out in camouflage and holding a big gun, I'll get him to take a picture to send to you.
Yeah, we've gotten soft, too. I used to have everything all together to grab on the run. Now it's all just scattered. We have guns, and I kid you not, a mother load of ammo (some of which Race is shooting as I type). We also have cases, and cases of MRE's! But well, here's hoping we don't ever have to live off those.....but, hey, the kids love 'em! Good reminder.
What a special link to your mom. We have a fabulous cookbook from Jorge's grandmother full of wartime substitution and rationing recipes, and best of all, her notes. Priceless.
And speaking of links, thanks for the mention. The funny part is, after Jorge pimped me out for a job (which I start tomorrow) and we secured a closing date on the new house (Oct 21), and I pointedly did not tell him the topic of my post or my recent thoughts/concerns, he tells me this afternoon that maybe we should just cash out and hit the road. Man, were we made for each or what?! I'm just glad he said it first. :)
We have an interesting bookshelf as does my ultimate Southern MIL. Between her and the uncles, they could live off her pantry for months. (Not counting our stash.)
I did have to giggle over the his and hers ammo.
We're such PAF's here. I've learned to keep my mouth shut for the most part. But I do try to softly push people into being at least marginally responsible for their safety.
Coming out of lurking to say what a wonderful picture you painted, in celery green of course :), of your mother. And the dichotomy is priceless -- I can see her all matchy-matchy lol reading about methane conversion!
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