Preparedness...bit by bit.



variegated sage backed up by a sage in bloom.


I've slowed down in the Preparedness department the past couple weeks...mainly just focusing on getting the garden planted. And so far, so good. We've got tomatoes, peppers, peas, beans, lettuce, zucchini and squash and herbs. Not enough for survival, but I imagine enough to keep us from starving.

I've also set aside a LOT of empty milk jugs over the past several weeks for extra water for "washing and flushing"...and they were beginning to pile up. So last week I loaded the utility sink in the garage full of milk jugs and filled them with water. I plan on doing another batch today.

I also bought a few extra cans of beans and a few packages of pasta. I found a plastic shoe box that I had in the garage holding stuff that I no longer needed so I emptied it out and am going to use it to store the small emergency supplies...soaps, matches, travel shampoos, can opener...stuff like that.

It's funny how just filling up those water jugs gave me a sense of accomplishment. They've been sitting around empty for weeks...and then when the storms hit...and when Osama was killed...I started to get a little concerned. I would be so upset if a disaster DID take place and here I am sitting around with a bunch of empty milk jugs. Saving milk jugs isn't helping anybody if they're left empty!

Have you started your preparation? Join in the Preparedness Challenge...great ideas and lots of encouragement. It's better to be safe than sorry.

anticipation = anxiety

credit for the goodness here.

anticipation:

1. to realize beforehand; foretaste or foresee: to anticipate pleasure.

2. to expect; look forward to; be sure of: to anticipate a favorable decision.

3. to perform (an action) before another has had time to act.

6. to consider or mention before the proper time: to anticipate more difficult questions.

7. to be before (another) in doing, thinking, achieving, etc.: Many modern inventions were anticipated by Leonardo da Vinci.

9. to think, speak, act, or feel an emotional response in advance.

{I edited some of the definitions out...hence the missing numbers. Just so ya know.}

 

*******

 

No...this is not a post about Carly Simon. Um...I'm feeling a little anxious today. It actually started yesterday. There is a lot going on today and over the weekend. Simple plans really...and nothing overwhelming or huge. But I have this tendency to anticipate everything I have to do...every plan I've made...every obligation I've been given...every expectation of me...and lump it all into one big tangle.

 

I take all of those things and pile them into one big pile of "to-do's" and next thing I know....I'm feeling nervous. My heart is beating a little faster...my mind is racing in about 40 different directions. My stomach feels a bit nauseous...my limbs feel heavy...and I have to deliberately take good deep breaths to stay calm.

 

It used to be that this feeling...this anxiety...would stop me dead in my tracks. Possibly even for a day or two..or three. It would stop me from going places...and talking to people. It would stop me from enjoying the day...my family...my blessings. It was a huge distraction. And still can be on occasion.

 

The difference between then and now is that now I am aware of how I'm feeling. And I'm usually even aware as to why. What I've learned to do is to stop, take some good, deep breaths and then say a prayer. I stop and think about what is making me nervous...and anxious. Many times it's a busy schedule or maybe a relational issue with someone. Or maybe it's what I think someone is thinking about a certain situation...or how I think someone is feeling...or what I think....think...think....in my own head that is quite often not the case!

 

Once I pinpoint what is making me anxious...like right now for instance...I know I have a lot going on this weekend...so the anticipation of a busy schedule is making me anxious. But what I'm learning to do is to break it all down into manageable bits. I have to stop and take a realistic look at what it is I'm doing...the actual times they are happening...and then I can see that there is plenty of time for all of it. It's not all happening at once.

 

When I do this the anxiety dissipates almost instantly. Sometimes it takes me a little longer to realize what's going on inside and I allow the anxiety more power than it deserves.  (Which is NONE.) But more often than not I am able to recognize what's happening, deal with it accordingly and then move forward.

 

 

Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition,

with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

neighbors.

Oh my...the girls are being LOUD this morning! Good thing my neighbors find it humorous...or I could be in a lot of trouble.

We are getting new next door neighbors...they are going to be moving in over the next couple of days. They are a young couple...this is their first home...and they seem very nice. I went out to introduce myself to them yesterday...and then warned them that I have four chickens. "Oh! We want to get chickens, too!"

YES!

And, as it turns out, they know the young couple down the street as well as the pastor across the street. They were all walking up and down past our house last night and finally The Pastor shouts our names from the sidewalk, "Hey Takacs' (pronounced Tack-us), did you meet your new neighbors?" We went out front to chat a bit...and then the young man from down the street asked if we wanted to be part of the Memorial Day celebration he and his wife are putting together...like a block party, a "stroll" of sorts. I'm thinking my offering will be DIY hot fudge sundaes.

As we talked a little more I learned that the young man down the street and his wife are going to raise rabbits...for manure and for...food. He was excited to hear we had chickens...said they'd wanted to but opted for rabbits instead...then mentioned something about bartering. Um...heck yeahhhh...!

I was really happy last night as I thought about all of this...new, nice, God-loving neighbors, like-minded about self-sufficiency, possible opportunities to barter...it's an answer to prayer it seems. And then there's always that little whisper in the back of my mind about the possibility of needing to be prepared through hard times...and it's nice to know that others around us are thinking the same way.

Wednesday in the Word

Pablo...at rest...not a worry in the world...

1 Chronicles 16:35

Cry out, “Save us, God our Savior; gather us and deliver us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name, and glory in your praise.”

I was out in the garage this morning...starting some laundry, feeding the chickens and then I noticed Reggie was out of water. I grabbed his water bucket, plopped it in the garage sink, and began to fill it up with water. Right at that moment I felt an overwhelming sense of thankfulness to God. That with the simple turn of a knob I was able to get fresh, clean, cool water for my dog.

Not to mention fresh water for my whole family...and for my garden...and the chickens...and to wash my car...or to rinse a little something sticky off my finger.

At that moment I realized how much I take water for granted. And not just water...so many other things. Food, transportation, shelter, health, rest...and a comfortable place to do that. With the twist of that knob on the faucet I felt a rush of thoughts for others....and their desperate realities...and thankfulness for my own situation.

I felt a rush of compassion and sympathy for those in this world who are not as fortunate as I am. So many times, I have the nerve to complain about this or that or the other. But the reality is...I am blessed. So very blessed. And I need to be thankful...always.

a snail in the rosemary.

Fortunately, snails don't like rosemary. Neither do earwigs. But they like squash plants...and cucumber plants...and tender little seedlings...and soft leaf herbs like parsley and basil.

Maybe this little metal snail will work like a scarecrow...to scare off the real snails...and maybe the slugs, too. You think?

Well, just in case it doesn't...I scattered some Diatomaceous Earth around the innocent garden plants and as it draws closer to the time my seedlings should be popping up (I'll start checking in 5 days...I planted some beans, chives and sunflowers yesterday...definitely vulnerable) I'll scatter some more.

Diatomaceous Earth works like a dream. It deters snails, slugs, earwigs, roaches, ants...and it's organic...which I love. Because I don't want to cover my fresh, organic, homegrown food with poison. If I wanted my food covered in poison I could save myself some work and just go buy produce at the grocery store.

Oh...and another thing about Diatomaceous Earth, it's also good to scatter in your chicken bedding. It will help to deter those horrid, disgusting, nasty pesky flies.

And guess what? Chris got bit by the garden bug too (that bug is welcome in the garden!) and decided to plant a couple of mounds of cantaloupe seeds. We love cantaloupe. Well, Seth doesn't love cantaloupe. He doesn't even like it. But the rest of us do...so majority rules. And I have to say there is nothing like a fresh, homegrown cantaloupe. We've never grown them before...I've been told they're tricky and picky about their soil. But we went for it anyway...you'll never know until you try. If it doesn't work we'll just continue to buy them at Aliki's, our local fruit stand...they grow a delicious cantaloupe.

Today I need to plant some lettuce (it never got done yesterday) and maybe more beans. I also need to get the herbs we purchased over the weekend into the ground. And then I think we're done for a while. After that it'll just be about the maintenance, and watering and then...the harvesting and eating!

Planting the garden.

tomato plant.

We planted our vegetable garden yesterday. Finally! We've had our poor little vegetable plants sitting on the table on the deck for two weeks! (Or is it three?) I have to say...they look a lot happier in the ground.

We also, thanks to my helpful husband (who is getting into this whole garden thing), have a drip watering system installed. Each plant has its own little water spout...it's wonderful! No more hand watering. Well, except for the lettuce and the herbs and trees in pots. But that's fine...the majority of the watering will be done by timer.

We planted 10, yes, 10 tomato plants. Um...not sure what we were thinking. Actually, I do know what we were thinking...SALSA. We love homemade salsa. And we love it with fresh tomatoes and peppers from our garden. So there ya go.

Speaking of peppers...we planted six of them. Two jalapeno, two Anaheim, a purple bell pepper (because I love purple in the garden and do NOT like eggplant) and an heirloom purple hot pepper. It oughtta look pretty in the salsa. It says it's also good dried and made into mole for enchilada sauce. Sounds good!

Walla Walla onions...

We also planted one cucumber, because I'm really the only one who eats them...one zucchini plant (although I am going to plant a few more seeds as we all like zucchini...especially prepared this way) and one Blue Hubbard squash...because they're a gray blue, I think they'll look pretty in the garden, and I wanted to try something new.

For the first time, we are going to try our hand at growing onions. I've never grown onions before...so I'm excited to see how it works out. I got Walla Walla onions. It's what they had at the garden center...and we sort of bought them on a whim so I hadn't done any research as to which ones would be best to grow. Eventually I'll have my act together (I hope) and be a more organized gardener. Eventually...

Until then...we garden on the edge. Seth used to call me the "loose canon mom on the edge"...maybe we can change that to the "loose canon gardener on the edge"!



purple garden gloves...thanks Mavis!



Today I'm going to get back out there and plant some seeds...green beans, lettuce and cantaloupe. Oh...and a few more zucchini seeds and some sunflowers! I got two varieties...I hope they come up. Ian and I planted some right before the days and days of rain and none of them sprouted. (Or they sprouted but I didn't know it and the chickens found the sprouts before I could! I'll never know.)

I purchased some herbs yesterday...more sage, basil, parsley and thyme (quite possibly my favorite)...two varieties, English and creeping. We have a sage plant that survived from last year. It's not pretty...but it's alive. It grew out from under a pot somehow...so it's stem is really long and the actual growth is about a foot away from where it's rooted.

Like I said...it's not pretty. But it's alive. So...it stays.

It was a great day to get outside and plant. At the warmest point I think it was about 80-something degrees. But there was a breeze off and on so it kept it quite cool.

Not to mention, the pecan tree still hasn't been trimmed. And it provides more shade than we want. We're still waiting on PG&E to come by and trim the parts that are dangerously close to the power lines so we can get a tree trimmer in to prune the rest. Can't wait...it's shading a lot of our garden expansion. Sort of defeating the purpose, ya know?

Welp...better get a move on. I've got lots to do today. Gotta get those seeds planted, dust and vacuum, clean the bathroom, mop the kitchen floor and try and keep up with the laundry piles!

How was your weekend? Did you get any gardening done?

Sunday morning..



credit

Remember this.

 When people choose to withdraw far from a fire,
the fire continues to give warmth,

but they grow cold.

 When people choose to withdraw far from light,
the light continues to be bright in itself

but they are in darkness.

This is also the case when people withdraw from God.

 ~Augustine