While Sam is nursing a hand that she managed to scrape a few layers of skin off while trying to help pound a few stakes, I thought I’d share a bit of our philosophy behind “Beyond TP and Milk.”
This past weekend, I saw a news report about average folks becoming preppers. Well, not like we think of as survivalists and preppers, but realizing that they should consider how they might be more prepared after surviving Covid lockdowns, political unrest, and various trials of Mother Nature.
Here’s the news video link from CBSN aired on March 12, 2021:
Another one from CBSN aired on December 30, 2020, was the piece about buying chicks to have eggs for their family in the future:
Both of these videos show the average person beginning to re-think preparedness in relation to their families, ordinary people having experienced some pretty extraordinary circumstances during the past year.
When Sam and I talk about sustainability and being prepared,
… we aren’t necessarily talking about guns, a hidden hideout in the woods, or years of food storage. Most of us are unable, or choose not, to do that. But we have experienced empty grocery shelves and the change of lifestyle resulting from the lockdowns of the past year – job upheavals, financial situations in turmoil, homeschooling our children, delayed product deliveries, and more. Many folks had to run from fires, floods, or deal with snowstorms, and loss of utilities.
As a result of these experiences, many more of us are trying to learn new ways to be better prepared. No more rushing to the grocery store in the eleventh hour. No more fear of ‘what will I feed my family?’ No more waiting for the customary stores inventory-on-demand, waiting for ships and planes that are behind schedules, delivery delays by the post office, and other things out of our control.
Go-Bag
I often ask folks if they are prepared to grab a “go-bag” in case of impending emergency? What would they include if they didn’t know when, or if, they would return to their home? So the basics begin there. Here are a few items to consider:
important documents (laminated if possible or in a waterproof folder)
medicines for several days to several months plus possible prescription copies
basic first-aid items
personal sanitary items that may not be easy to find in a disaster
extra clothing – ideally offering you a few layers
food items and water
batteries, radio, flashlight
blankets
Of course, there are a host of other items you may consider, but that’s a good start. There are many online sites that will give you lists as well as your county emergency services, etc.
Home Garden
Sam’s focus has been to have you think about your family’s well-being, especially in food sustainability. A garden that gives you healthy, fresh foods and offers a variety that can be canned or frozen. A bounty that can give you a sense of security no matter what the grocery stores have available. But we both know that along with these items for our own families, a bit of abundance gives us items to barter. Remember, when times are tough, having something to ‘trade’ can make a tough situation a bit more comfortable.
As we hope for a loosening of all the ‘safety’ precautions in coming months (or years), it’s easy to think the rough times are behind us. If that is how you’re thinking, STOP! 2019 was an amazing lesson. It can happen again. It can happen anytime. We can throw our arms up and say, “Oh, I didn’t think it could happen to me.” Or… we can learn some lessons and figure out at least a few basics that will allow our families to feel a bit more secure.
Children
I highly recommend including everyone in the planning. Children can be quite creative and I think it adds to their own sense of security. They can have a backpack of items that will be important to them if they had to get out of the house fast, or if the electricity was out and they had to entertain themselves. It also can give children a sense of control by choosing what matters to them. You can even play a game and have them use their backpack of items for a day or a weekend to test their choices.
Preparedness is not fear. It’s the opposite. It’s being ready. So don’t forget the lessons you learned during the past year. Consider how you might make a similar situation safer and more comfortable by being prepared.
Between us, we have over 100-years of experience and Sam’s only 39! If you enjoy our life hacks and simple common sense approaches to sustainability and everyday life, please spread the word.
Something that just occurred to me as I was hand washing my dishes – simple kitchen lifehacks. I remembered my grandmother having a large single sink, my mom had a divided sink. When you have a large sink with no divider, how do you soap and rinse without continually running water? I use a large bowl filled with soapy water, I set the clean dishes in the sink next to the bowl and rinse a bunch of them at the same time. I know it may seem like a silly idea to share, but I realized another how-to-do-it I learned from my grandmother.
I also have a number of cast iron pots and pans. One of the tips I remember from my grandmother was having cream of tartar on hand. Used with a bit of water, it makes a paste and helps remove the hardened or baked-on food. Then I remembered that Ellie had a container of baking soda next to her sink.
Baking soda, cream of tartar, even vinegar are all excellent and non-toxic items to use in cleaning your dishes, pots, and pans.
Ellie’s Tips
Like Sam, I’ve learned a number of kitchen hacks from mom and grandmoms. Baking soda on a sponge with a bit of water will easily remove a lot of stuck-on food. Quite often, I’ll add hot water and a teaspoon or two of baking soda to a dirty pan, leaving it on a warm stove burner. (Be careful that your pan does dry out. That certainly defeats the effort!) When I’m ready to wash it following dinner, any food wipes off easily. If I have a pan that seems to have a residue over time, I will fill the bottom with water, add 1/4 cup of white vinegar, and let it sit on a warm stove. In 15 minutes or so, it will shine up nicely after being washed with hot soapy water.
I’ve also had glasses that over time seem to have a grayish edge. I’ve even seen this with glasses washed in dishwashers as well. Every now and then, I’ll add a bit of white vinegar to my soapy sponge and wash the rim of the glasses. VOILA! Gone!
I must mention that folks who use sponges are often criticized because they are dirty and hold germs. I’ve always used a bit of baking soda (or white vinegar) on my soapy sponge to wash dishes. Rinse well when done and squeeze it out. I lay the scrubby side of the sponge on the counter next to the sink and let it air dry. It doesn’t smell and is quite clean.
Between us, we have over 100-years of experience and Sam’s only 39! If you enjoy our life hacks and simple common sense approaches to sustainability and everyday life, please spread the word.
You’ll be surprised. Sam here with my tale of woe. It’s been over two weeks now. (Our repair guy should be here this weekend. YAY!) In the interim, I’ve learned a few things while not having a working dishwasher. To be honest, I’m not a big fan of washing dishes by hand. I love the dishwasher and it frees up a bit of time that I can be spending with family. For instance, we can load the dishwasher and have an hour of ‘game night’ with the family.
I’ve had a few thoughts while having to handwash the dishes. First, what do I have to be thankful/grateful for about it? I’m seeing a lot of posts about false positivity and you know, what – false positivity is really systemic and it’s an issue in our culture. I hate it because, well, am I going to sit back and be all happy and roses enjoyable when it’s a load of garbage? Nope, I am very close to “I hate washing dishes by hand.”
But what’s the value in all of this:
First and foremost, I’m grateful when I have a ‘working’ dishwasher!
We’ve discovered some unique family time while doing the chore of handwashing dishes.
Growing up, I had quite a few chores to do. It gave me an appreciation for what’s involved in keeping a house – a behind-the-scenes appreciation.
Doing simple chores gave me (and hopefully, my children) a lot of resilience and strengths and an appreciation for the work that goes into running a home.
So the dishes in my sink that are about to get washed when I’m done shooting this video have really given me a new appreciation. What are you appreciating now that you never thought about? Instead of false positivity – smiling like everything is A-OK – what are you actually taking for granted that you should be really grateful for? Feel free to share your thoughts on our FB page.
Ellie’s Thoughts
I’m one of those crazy people who love doing my dishes by hand. In most instances, I can have dishes done while someone else is still loading their dishwasher. But I tend to enjoy tasks where my hands are busy. I spend a lot of time on a computer. The manual tasks seem to allow my mind to enjoy some free-thinking, or maybe free-association is a better term. Ideas I have rolling around in my mind seem to re-organize. It feels very creative without any effort.
But on a more practical level, I worked two years on Fishers Island, NY for wealthy families as a housekeeper/cook. Even there, most of the time I could do dishes faster than loading the dishwasher. The times I really appreciated a dishwasher was for cocktail parties where we worked to keep up with glasses.
If I had a choice, I would trade a dishwasher for a warming drawer. I’ll continue that thought on another day.
Between us, we have over 100-years of experience and Sam’s only 39! If you enjoy our life hacks and simple common sense approaches to sustainability and everyday life, please spread the word.
While thinking about seed starters, don’t forget to clean up your planting beds. Mother Nature doesn’t need any help to create a wonderful bounty of foods for us to consume. But if we want to support Mother Nature and make it a lot easier on her, a little spring cleaning can always help! Just ask any mom you know if she would like some help with spring cleaning and you will know what I mean.
By trimming and pruning plants and cleaning out our planting areas, we increase the probability of a great harvest. A great harvest = sustainability.
Whatyou’ll need:
good pruning tools
long sleeve shirts and long pants
really thick, protective gloves
(In our case, the raspberry bushes are thorny)
protective glasses can protect your eyes from the sudden lash of a cane
hat or tying your hair back to keep from getting it tangled
TIP:
In the case of the raspberries, cut your cane at a slight angle about 2-3″ from the ground near the base of the plant. Remember, they are ‘ramblers,’ so they’ll spread out quickly once they start growing again.
Here’s a photo from one of our bushes last year (before pruning). The canes in the bin came from this bush. Your goal is to have it look like the end result in the video.
Your trim materials can be composted at home or check out your local municipal composting possibilities. It all makes great, rich compost.
Here’s to your safe pruning and anticipation of an awesome harvest!
Next up: I’ll clear out the herb garden in my front yard.
There are predictions for potential snow, ice, cold temps … just … YUCK!
Are you ready?
There are some simple things to be ready. Have some foods that you can eat if the electricity should go out for a few hours or a day or two. What kinds of things?
tuna fish
peanut butter
bread with butter or jam
items in the fridge that will go bad
like yogurt, saladings, sandwich meats, milk
apples and other fruits you may have
cereals
cheese, crackers, pepperoni
canned fruits
snacks
Keep in mind that if it’s really cold, you can place some perishable items in a tin and put in the snow. Of course, most of the time our electricity is not off that long. The point is that when you know there’s a prediction of a winter storm, you can be prepared. Maybe have a gallon or two of water available for drinking. If you have milk, that will be one of the first things you’ll want to use up. Sodas and other beverages will be fine. Also, keep in mind that you can buy milk in a box that does not require refrigeration until you open it. If you have kids, this is especially useful.
Is this going to feel like a gourmet meal? Of course, not! But you don’t need to go hungry while you wait for the power to come on.
Sleeping Bags, Blankets, and Games
I would add that if you have sleeping bags, use them to stay warm. And if you have battery-powered radios, flashlights, lamps, etc, be sure you know where they are. Always be cautious using oil lamps and candles. If you happen to have a camp stove that you can use outside, you can also cook a small meal. That’s, of course, if the weather isn’t too windy and bitter.
But you can safely survive a bit of inconvenience and, if you’re creative, you can turn it into an indoor picnic adventure with the kids. Pull out some board games, make a blanket tent, dress in layers of clothes, and enjoy. A difficult time can become a memory that you’ll all share in years to come. Be smart. Think ahead. Be prepared.
The preppers and homesteaders who may be planning for the next 5 years (or the coming apocalypse) may need to do things differently. But for you and I just trying to use our common sense and learn from the past year, we can be prepared in simple ways.
Recycle, reduce, and reuse is more than just a methodology taught to children back in the 90s. It is really a way of life. This is something that our grandparents’ generation lived by, so why do we see it as a novel concept? This is one way of storing food for the short term, relatively inexpensively, and you can find them at your local bakery. They will probably be happy to let you have their wonderful food grade buckets on the cheap because it gets them out of their way.
Note that the storage can be easily rotated
… so that you can just have a few months ahead. But by planning, you won’t be running to the store the day before the next storm! And if the distribution chain gets delayed, your family will still eat well.
Here’s a photo from one of our bushes last year (before pruning). The canes in the bin came from this bush. Your goal is to have it look like the end result in the video.
