The Chronicle of a Reformed City Girl

We were citified yuppies. We drove the approved car, lived in the approved four bedroom house in the approved neighborhood, with the approved 2.3 kids (I was pregnant) and I could give the approved answers at all of the approved yuppie social functions. Our former dream home

We did have some closet behaviors, of course. To start, we’re Christians, but that’s okay, we just gravitated towards the Christian-yups. We were a homeschooling family, knew which end of the fishing pole did what and we could muster the carpentry skills to build a semblance of a compost bin. I milled my own flour and baked constantly. The smell of freshly baked bread was my gateway drug which eventually led to dehydrating, and even pressure canning (that is when you have crossed over).

My husband stumbled upon the notion of rain barrels. Our lack of these specific self-sufficiency skills led to some “unapproved” blogs about how we could all pay a price for our failing economy and that it would be a good idea to put something away for a “rainy day”. I reviewed some homeschooling curriculum about economics and it all clicked for me, too. “Hey,” I thought, “you can’t spend what you don’t have.” So novel, I know.

That was the beginning of the journey and the point of no return was in our rear view mirror. I read Carla Emery’s “Encyclopedia of Country Living” cover to cover (yes, even appendices). The Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery We became radical to get out of debt: excessive couponing, even selling the Volvo and getting by with one car—gasp! Above all else, we spent a lot of time in prayer. Well, sometimes we didn’t pursue God—it honestly felt more like He pursued us. We sold much of what we owned, gave away the rest, and moved from one side of the country to the other.

We gave up all sanity if you were to ask anyone we knew, but we knew that we were exactly where we were supposed to be . . . beautiful Northwest Montana! Cabinet Mountains Three days in the car with three sick children. By the time we hit Wyoming, I was teetering in my resolve, “Carla Emery didn’t mention this,” I thought. Perhaps sanity is overrated. The dog was crossing both sets of her legs, so we pulled off at a quaint little general store/tackle shop/pizzeria/fireworks stand/laundry mat/gas station, miles from anywhere else.

The wind softly blew the dust up and the horse tied to the post pawed the ground and snorted. The checkout lady graciously led this whimpering mother back to the “Employees Only” utility sink, so that I could hand scrub three soiled lovies, lest the children refuse to sleep without them. Wyoming Sign

We finally arrived to the small town in Montana which we now call home, checked into a hotel, and immediately headed over to the grocery store for something we could call dinner. The Local Grocery Store

Something was strangely odd; bumblebees and princesses, dragons and race car drivers were walking across the parking lot holding hands and looking both ways. We walked through the door of the grocery store, met by a human sized M&M (green, my fave) who passed a baggie of tickets to each of us. We had arrived on Halloween. The entire town, it seems, goes to the grocery store on Halloween. The local icon known as “the Balloon Man” was there in his homemade clown costume giving hats and swords to the children and giving the adults funny anecdotes about his grandchildren. The grocery store passed out free hotdogs, chips, and soda. There were games and prizes, samples and—to the locals—a chance to catch up on the news while waiting in lines.

Culture Shock.

It’s been a tough year on many accounts and we have grown. We’ve gone from one end of the economic pendulum to the other. We survived those first few winter months simply by the grace of God and of others. I never knew generosity until I met the neighbors of my small town. I would find a mason jar of goat milk on the front porch every morning when I let the dog outside. Plates of cookies, homemade bars of soap, and even canned elk meat were given to us because “I had some extra…”

Arial View of Small Town, Montana

A year has recently passed. This year, we escorted a Tigger, an Eeyore, and a Piglet across the parking lot, holding hands and looking both ways. As children compared costumes and parents compared the week’s happenings, I asked my husband, “A whole year—what do you think now?”

“We are different people now,” he replied. “The culture shock is gone, and we are different.” We smiled somberly, as though that smile recorded the memories of a year.

Everything has been a new experience, from butchering livestock to homemade ice cream to community firewood cutting. There were our failed attempts at gardening in a harsher climate, our new friendships, and endless winter months playing board games with restless children. The people here are strong. The lifestyle is simple but never confused with easy.

I nodded in agreement, fighting back a tear. “Yes,” I whispered, “we are stronger.”

photo credits:

Cabinet Mountains: Alice and Jim Hayes, Loveless Realty

Grocery Store: Rosauers photo

Arial of Town: Kootenai River Development Council, Inc.

Wilson’s Book Review: Michael Smith’s Killer Elite

“Wow!” That may be the one word to use to sum up my reaction to reading Michael Smith’s fascinating work of America’s most elite Special Operations Forces. If I were to expand my commentary into say, three words, I would pick: Complexity, Creativity and Resistance.

Starting with the failure of the EAGLE CLAW mission of 1980 and running right up to the present day (2006-2007 when the book was published), this book is a page-turner. It is a chronicle of all of the major world conflicts that feature threats to American citizens and her interests abroad. Take any conflict that we see today, and the chances are good that the root causes for them reach back to the 1970’s when the cast of usual suspects set things into motion. The book covers in equal parts the fascinating job of “the shooters” and the teams that are tasked with providing the intelligence for the men executing the plan and the decision makers.

The guys keeping everyone in-the-know are referred to the book as “the Activity” which is an innocuous enough sounding name for a very small team of people tasked with such an enormous, undefined and life-threatening job. Yet despite the name, their work is truly one of a kind and can never be underestimated even though you probably never heard about them.

Based largely on the successful model of the British SAS and SBS models, these American counterparts are to be commended for dealing with the enormous complexity of world conflicts, their creativity to find solutions and their diligence in meeting the resistance that they faced from the brass at home. If you were to think of a short list of world conflicts from 1980 until now and then wonder if these guys had anything to do with the outcome of those conflicts, all your questions would be answered in shocking detail in this book. Taking down narco drug lords? Somali war lords? Bringing the butchers of the Eastern Europe ethnic cleansing massacres to justice? Finding Saddam Hussein? Yes, yes, yes and yes—but you would be floored at how the complexities of doing any of these tasks weaves a labyrinth of possibilities for failure; however these guys always get the job done. Most notably in the more recent news (that post-dates the publishing of the book) would be the successful capture of Captain Richard Phillips at sea (with three head shots [simultaneously] from a moving ship mind you) or the successful capture of Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan—none of these scenarios mentioned are anything like each other, and yet a very small group of guys get these impossible missions done in spades.

The creativity that these men show in their solutions to intractable problems is worthy of mention all on its own. Michael Smith does not give away the store, but there are certainly things that made me pucker at how some of those details ever made it to print. If you are someone who cheers when the good guys win, then this is a book for you. This book most clearly shows that the conflicts are truly a battle of ideas—more on that in future blogs.

The resistance that these teams had to face from the entrenched bureaucracy structure is a story all on its own. These men were certainly not rogue come-and-go-as-they-pleased teams. Their tradecraft and professional manner were top notch quality and yet somehow the enigma of the resistance to America having a special operations capability is very hard to believe if it were not so well documented in the book. The specific resistance came in many ways such as putting up bureaucratic road blocks, to denying funding, to not allowing air lift assets to be released or flat out prohibiting the capability for the job to be done in an outside-the-box manner. My summary would not be nearly as good as this first person quote (from the author) on page 130 regarding the debriefing from Beirut:

“Gentleman, we should all be embarrassed by the failure we have just struggled through. In my mind, the consequences of failure of this nature are just as devastating as losing a major battle, especially politically. We ought to be able to figure out that the terrorists understand better than we do the timing of the decision-making process here in Washington and the time required for launching and getting to where they have perpetrated their action. We are the most powerful nation in the world and if we cannot give this mission the adequate priority—with dedicated lift assets—then we ought to get out of this business and quit wasting the taxpayer’s money (Smith, 2007).”

And less than four months later the world watched Leon Klinghofer, an American wheelchair bound passenger on the Achille Lauro, be thrown over board by terrorists as America’s best solution stood by waiting for a ride. Fortunately the situation changed for the much better, separate systems were worked out for funding and oversight and the rest is a heroic history captured so well in this book. The quote from President George W. Bush on page 241 highlights this paradigm shift so clearly, “The president did not talk specifically about Iraq but he did warn that the War on Terror was about to get more difficult. ‘Inaction is not an option,’ he said. ‘Men with no respect for life must never be allowed to control the ultimate instruments of death.’ No one had any doubt who he had in mind (Smith, 2007).”

Well done Gentlemen! We salute you.

Wilson

-Pro Deo et Patria

Smith, M. (2007). Killer elite. (p. 130). New York: St Marten’s Press.

Smith, M. (2007). Killer elite. (p. 241). New York: St Marten’s Press.

Notes on Veteran’s Day

19 Dec 2003, I was on a plane home to the United States of America from my duty assignment in Germany. I separated from the US Army with an honorable discharge realizing that I was entering a whole new chapter of my life. For the better part of the last 30 days I had spent countless hours and trips to and fro playing “signature bingo” and “insomnia proofing” (attending briefings) which is collectively known as the abstract activity called “out processing.”

That plane trip across the pond was a blur to me. I believe that I chatted with a young lady about overlaps in our music collections, pets and Harry Potter for the better part of six hours as I could hardly wait to get back to the US. My final destination was Columbus, Ohio and the airport there is relatively small. You may know it better as the kind of airport where you exit the aircraft descend down a set of movable stairs and walk across terra firma to the terminal building. I was back in the land of the free and the home of the brave again and I could not believe how many blessings I had yet to count.

We were in a post-911 world, so Chaya (my loving wife) was waiting for me near baggage pickup as greeting someone at the gate was no longer an option. I had been waiting for that kiss and hug from her for months!

That reunion was special because I was home for Christmas. The snow on the ground, the green lush conifers, the biting cold humidity of the Midwest—it was all so familiar and most welcome because prior to “out-processing” in Germany I was in Baghdad, Iraq.

Winter in Ohio after time in Iraq

Among the times in my life that were perhaps the hardest to endure, I would cite OIF (Operation Iraqi Freedom) as a threshold for a new level of difficult. What is down in the well certainly comes up in the bucket in good times. However in bad times that bucket goes down deeper and you really see what is on the inside of yourself. This level of self-discovery is only possible when you are stuck without contact via internet or reliable phone communication with loved ones, mail is slower than Christmas, food is pre-packaged and certainly not plentiful, water is hot enough at room temperature to cook Top Ramen® Noodles, the weather redefines any definition you ever knew of the word “hot” (~140° F in the shade) and the routine is monotonous to put it succinctly. But the people that I spent all those months with are to this day some of the best people I know. I take them with me as the souvenirs of military life. The deep level to which I admire their character is directly proportional to the harshness of the circumstances which revealed that character. These good friends to this day collectively make up “what I miss” when I think about the Army years.

Not all service members have to go to war, and so special decorations are awarded for those who do. Anyone who raises a right hand in oath is signing a blank check to our country. This check is payable up to (and possibly including) their life. The proper reciprocation for that transaction is respect. This bears repeating, but we shake their hand and say, “Thank you,” stand up and put your hand over your heart when the National Anthem plays or when the flag passes you in a parade, help out spouse or family member when their loved one is deployed, etc.

America is blessed with an all volunteer Armed Forces and today we honor all of them. The men and women of the US Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard serve (or have served) because they chose to do so on our behalf. We owe them respect for their sacrifice.

So to all of our veterans currently serving to include my cousin who just returned home from Iraq, to those who have been separated and are back in civvies as a permanent uniform—we salute you.

Pantry Paratus offers free shipping to all APO/FPO addresses not as a gimmick or a sale, rather as a permanent policy to say, “thank you.”

Wilson

Pro Deo et Patria

Wilson’s Book Review — “Survivors: A Novel of the Coming Collapse”

Wilson’s Book Review: “Survivors, A Novel of the Coming Collapse”

by James Wesley Rawles

I was highly anticipating this fiction novel because I enjoyed the first fiction novel Patriots by James Wesley Rawles so much. If you are unfamiliar with James Wesley Rawles, he is the author of several books but is also perhaps more notably the editor of SurvivalBlog.com. SurvivalBlog is chock full of practical insight, how-to’s, practical homesteading content and Godly wisdom for living the self-sufficient lifestyle.

All of the James Wesley Rawles books share the same characteristic writing style which is very unique for three reasons: (1) it is highly instructive, (2) it is very descriptive of plausible fictional scenarios written in story form in the past tense, (3) and the deliberate references to faith in God. It is important to note that Survivors was written with a contemporaneous timeline (both plots occur simultaneously) to the book Patriots. You do not have to read (or re-read) Patriots to follow along with this book, but it would definitely help.

Survivors will not disappoint on any of the three pillars of Rawles’ writing style. There is a list in the beginning of the book of characters that appear throughout the book as the plot weaves past and present happenings into one coherent tale of the protagonist’s (Captain Andrew Laine) anything-but serendipitous journey home to New Mexico from Afghanistan. On a personal note, the book picked up on an interesting thread in my own life as the character travels back from Afghanistan to Germany (a trip I have made personally many times).

My top priorities for a James Bond movie always include making sure justice prevails, that the new gadget is sufficiently cool, gawking at the car and ensuring that James gets the girl at the end of the movie. No spoilers here, but in Survivors rest assured the main character Andy does get the girl. The plot moves along nicely and the book does cast the net wide to include a bigger audience. For example, those who are not familiar with military colloquialisms will not get a lot of the humor and turn of phrase used in parlance; likewise the detailed love story between reappearing characters from Patriots (Ian and Blanca Doyle) in chapter 24 (“Down in Hondo”) was not geared toward me—but Chaya would like it a lot. Other internet critics of Rawles have said that he is focused on “white Christians” (whatever that means) to the point of violating some diversity ordinance somewhere. Survivors includes a whole range of characters, orphans, disabled veterans, widows, poor, women, children and people who are definitely not “white” (sorry but my lack of a PC vocabulary does not leave you with a better working definition of that group). It includes all looking to live in the face of this fictional adversity as depicted in the book or on SurvivalBlog.

One other criticism that I heard or James Wesley Rawles Books was that it was the post-apocalyptic life of people (none of whom had children!) who must have had quite the check book to afford all of that gear before the crunch. In Patriots when Todd Gray and his wife pick their retreat in Idaho it mentions that “they paid cash.” That makes for a great story, but the book did lose some of its voice with me as that is just not part of my reality. Survivors is the story of much more real people without the benefit of a trust fund who make due with ingenuity in a true “skills trumps stuff” fashion. For example, on p. 82 you read about the recently widowed character Shelia Randall open up a small trading post/store in rural Kentucky after she and her family “bugged out.” James Wesley Rawles also handily weaves the value of the free market throughout the book.

The characters in the book are believable. For example, the brief mention of Chambers Clarke who was the undersecretary of information in the new ProvGov has this written of him, “Before the Crunch, Clarke had been a fertilizer and pesticide salesman for Mansanto Company” (Rawles, 2011). Not that anyone is going to be a big fan of the ProvGov, but that short resume is just not helping me like Chambers Clarke one bit. One character that I really liked (and not mentioned in the early list of characters) is the “super horse” Prieto who is indispensible in Andy’s return to New Mexico. What I know about horses might fill up a 3” X 5” index card. Again, here is one more of the examples of the style we see in James Wesley Rawles books of unobtrusively instructing the reader throughout the story. The reader if he/she was not implicitly paying attention would learn a lot about morse code, firearms, horses, electronics, bartering items and even human nature erstwhile reading a great fictional novel. For Example, p. 83 mentions the “All-American Five” shortwave radio being operated on either DC or AC, p. 124-126 is a crash course in morse code and ham radio protocol, p. 146-148 is a great treatise on the true value of silver lovingly written in a letter format from a father to his sons, p. 153-154 is a condensed retreat rules poster, p. 300 deals very truthfully with the realities of using lethal force in self defense, etc.

If you are not planning on buying the book, but do pass by it in a library or pick up a friend’s copy please read chapter 20 “Tentacles,” especially if it is the only chapter you read. Pay attention to the conversation on pp. 159-168 between Lars Laine (Andy’s brother) and L. Roy Martin. I read that chapter four times because the truths expressed in that conversation between those two men are an absolutely fundamental treatise on human nature. On p. 162 is my favorite quote from the whole book:

“But storage is no more than limited capital to allow people the time to grow more food” (Rawles, 2011).

Survivors unashamedly points to the sustaining power of faith in God summed up in the William Penn quote on p. 77, “If man is not governed by God, he will be ruled by tyrants.” The book drives home the point that the Christian faith is fundamental for maintaining a moral compass and a sense of hope—two things that every one can use now and if things go really badly in the future. I was very pleased to see that there are both Anabaptists and Messianic Jewish families mentioned in the story as those two faiths are represented where we live in Montana; both of which have both personally helped Chaya and I a great deal to get acclimated here. The cadre of writers who make up the small body of preparedness catalog of literature is not very big at all, and there are differences of opinions in that group to be sure. You are not going to get a monolithic cannon of rationality from any group of people. For example I disagree with James Wesley Rawles on the Reformed view of free will and the elect (reference p. 300). However, the topic of faith is so critical to me that I have to high-light this point once more by saying that those writers (like Rawles) who do mention this inescapable logic of the need for faith in their craft really are paving the right road for many reasons. Rawles even has a page on SurvivalBlog about the importance of prayer.

The book does close with loose ends, and I have read negative criticism elsewhere on the internet about Survivors regarding this point. Not to worry Rawlesian readers! JWR does plan on writing a third contemporaneous novel to form a trifecta when he releases Founders which will feature a cross country trek of two people. I would expect all of the story’s business to be wrapped up then.

Final thoughts: I liked the book by James Wesley Rawles a lot. It is not the page-turner preparedness primer that Patriots was, but it is well worth the read and has something for everyone. Mind the provisos and disclaimers at the beginning with a strong dose of “do not try this at home” especially when it comes to “borrowing” an F-16 to pick up a stranded loved one . . . I’m just sayin’ . . .

Wilson

Pro Deo et Patria

Rawles, A. W. (2011). Survivors, a novel of the coming collapse. (p. 267). Beyond Words/Atria Books.

Rawles, A. W. (2011). Survivors, a novel of the coming collapse. (p. 162). Beyond Words/Atria Books.

Reloading large game rounds with the Troubled Shooter

Reloading Large Game Rounds

A Video Blog with the Troubled Shooter

Here in Montana “going out to get food” may also include taking a hunting implement into the woods to retrieve large game. We got the basics in this video blog from the Troubled Shooter here on reloading:

To get your reloading done safely and properly be sure to have the proper reloading data, a reloading manual, properly sized reloading dies and your requisite reloading supplies. Follow your instruction manual or ask an experienced person to help you.

Wilson

Pro Deo et Patria

Proviso: Hunting and/or shooting sports have inherient danger. There is nothing here that suggest that you ought to try this. If you do choose to reload (in accordance with the laws governing your area) do so at your own risk.

Use It Up , Wear It Out, Make Do, or Do Without!

The inflation rate, even according to the government (who often tries to dissuade fears by downplay), is inevitable even within the year. Now is the time to reevaluate our shopping habits and how we can get the most for our dollar ahead of food inflation. We need to plan ahead. We must …

WWII propaganda poster

Would you like a breakdown of the upcoming inflation of food? Coming to a pocket book near you . . .

http://www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/cpifoodandexpenditures/data/cpiforecasts.htm

SOURCE

Changes in Food Price Indexes, 2009 through 2012									September 23, 2011
Item				Relative importance¹	Month- to- Month	Year- over- Year	Annual	Annual	Forecast	Forecast
Item				Relative importance¹	Jul2011 to Aug2011	Aug2010 to Aug2011	2009	2010	2011²	2012
Consumer Price Indexes				Percent	Percent change
All food				100.0	0.5	4.6	1.8	0.8	3.0 to 4.0	2.5 to 3.5
Food away from home				43.1	0.4	2.7	3.5	1.3	3.0 to 4.0	2.0 to 3.0
Food at home				56.9	0.6	6.0	0.5	0.3	3.5 to 4.5	3.0 to 4.0
	Meats, poultry, and fish			12.5	0.3	7.7	0.5	1.9	5.5 to 6.5	3.5 to 4.5
		Meats		7.9	0.7	8.9	-0.6	2.8	6.5 to 7.5	3.5 to 4.5
			Beef and veal	3.7	0.4	10.4	-1.0	2.9	8.0 to 9.0	4.5 to 5.5
			Pork	2.5	0.7	7.5	-2.0	4.7	6.5 to 7.5	3.0 to 4.0
			Other meats	1.7	1.2	7.7	2.3	-0.1	3.0 to 4.0	2.5 to 3.5
		Poultry		2.4	-0.1	3.4	1.7	-0.1	2.5 to 3.5	3.0 to 4.0
		Fish and seafood		2.2	-0.4	8.3	3.6	1.1	5.5 to 6.5	4.0 to 5.0
	Eggs			0.7	4.9	14.5	-14.7	1.5	5.0 to 6.0	3.5 to 4.5
	Dairy products			6.1	0.9	9.1	-6.4	1.1	5.0 to 6.0	3.0 to 4.0
	Fats and oils			1.7	1.0	10.8	2.3	-0.3	6.5 to 7.5	2.5 to 3.5
	Fruits and vegetables			8.4	0.2	6.3	-2.1	0.2	3.5 to 4.5	3.0 to 4.0
		Fresh fruits and vegetables		6.4	0.4	7.5	-4.6	0.6	3.5 to 4.5	3.0 to 4.0
			Fresh fruits	3.3	0.7	9.1	-6.1	-0.6	2.0 to 3.0	3.0 to 4.0
			Fresh vegetables	3.2	0.0	6.0	-3.4	2.0	4.5 to 5.5	3.5 to 4.5
		Processed fruits and vegetables		1.9	-0.4	2.4	6.6	-1.3	1.5 to 2.5	3.0 to 4.0
	Sugar and sweets			2.2	1.2	4.7	5.6	2.2	2.5 to 3.5	2.0 to 3.0
	Cereals and bakery products			7.9	0.8	5.3	3.2	-0.8	4.0 to 5.0	4.5 to 5.5
	Nonalcoholic beverages			6.7	0.3	4.0	1.9	-0.9	2.0 to 3.0	1.5 to 2.5
	Other foods			10.7	0.9	3.0	3.7	-0.5	2.5 to 3.5	2.0 to 3.0
Note: Bolded entries reflect changes from the previous month’s forecast. Green arrows indicate an increase and red arrows indicate a decrease in the forecast from the previous month’s forecast. ¹BLS-estimated expenditure shares, December 2010. Food prices represent approximately 14 percent of the total CPI. ²Forecasts updated by the 25^th of each month. Sources: Historical data from Bureau of Labor Statistics; forecasts by Economic Research Service.

What is food inflation? Basically, it is the worth of everything you eat going up except the money that you use to buy the food. Classically the funny money inflation metrics do not include inflation on fuel or food. I know, I know, you are thinking, “but those are the things that cost the most,” exactly. This is what keeps the numbers looking so good. Factor in that the Farm Bill commodities float on a sea of oil and subsidies and the real costs start to hit very close to home.

You already know how serious the inflation on food is. Have you priced bacon lately? May be it is that the real paradigm was there all along right in front of us:

Food Pyramid

The USDA Food Pyramid? Yes, the widest part at the base is what you are “supposed” to be eating more of—which is why we call it the Farm Bill Pyramid:

Food Pyramid Annotated

The commodities are based on cheap oil (artificial fertilizers, fuel for farming implements, trucking and transportation, etc.). As there is an inflation in oil prices there follows an inflation in food prices as well.

Let me illustrate further: try to find something in the grocery store that does not have corn syrup in it. Actually, you would be very hard pressed to find foods without corn or soy derivatives in the food. Since corn and soy are row crop commodities, which depend on oil to fuel the production you will naturally see inflation on food when you see inflation on oil.

The food inflation markers are there—I hope that you are thumbing through your seed catalog for this spring.

Chaya

Photo Credits:

WWII Propaganda Poster by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Food Pyramid from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/imagepages/19836.htm

Clipart from www.cliparts101.com

Task Oriented

Produce, Prepare, & Preserve Your Harvest

Somewhere along the way, I’ve become task-oriented. I have always appreciated hard work and the ability to crash asleep from a day’s accomplishments. I’ve always enjoyed pushing myself beyond even my own boundary of capabilities; to know that I did something I didn’t know was possible.

In spite of these qualities, I was not always task-oriented. I love people by nature and could easily pine away an afternoon at a coffee shop or bookstore with a dear friend. And I’d ask if they’d like to meet there again tomorrow.

Goodness, I could pine away that same afternoon quite contentedly by myself, enjoying my own solitude with my calligraphy pen or banjo. Even at the bookstore, I enjoy the alone-time. Perhaps it would be an adventure; a conversation with a stranger or perhaps I’d witness an event in the peripheral that I’d otherwise miss—like that young couple falling in love but not admitting it yet, or that creative little girl trying to win her mother over to her brilliant idea of giving her what she wants. Yes, I people watch. Even more than these, a rainy afternoon calls my name; the book and tea await my arrival.

I still love every one of these things. But along with these things, I now find that my “To Accomplish” list (doesn’t that sound better than “to-do”?) grows longer with every checked item. I think chores breed chores. The list within itself can contain a certain drudgery—as the rainy afternoons mount this time of year and the Book List grows with every radio program interview I overhear.

But yet the items on the list itself…these give me great joy. After all, would they find their way to my list if there was not some merit to be gained? My list today is no shorter than usual—zucchini must be processed, and so must the pears and apples.

A dear friend gave me a precious bag of elderberries yesterday—I must start the tincture so it will be ready before the flu season comes! The mending in the corner is nearly toppling. What of my son’s homeschooling curriculum—school is approaching and I haven’t yet decided our year!

Do they bring stress? The stress is found within the urgency and the notion of prioritizing them, yes. But knowing that I’m working for my family, that I’m modeling self sufficiency for my children, that I’m teaching basic life skills, that I’m encouraging an emphasis on family life and charity—these are my big picture. Above all of this,

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

(Colossians 3:23-24 NIV)

I just wanted to pop this quick reminder your way…remember the big picture today!

–Chaya

Photos:

friends over coffee

tea and a book

Northwest Montana Veterans Stand Down 2011

Stand Down . . . I had to ask the term to be defined to me the first time I heard it. It was my first deployment in Kosovo. After a few weeks of falling asleep to the sound of mortars under the stars at our firebase along the border, I was beginning to shed my naïveté about the world we live in. Our Platoon Sergeant asked the Commander for a “stand down” day so that we could refit, refuel and take care of administrative duties.

Local VFW Post 1548 Libby, MT

My initial acquaintance to the term “stand down” was under drastically different circumstances compared to my first Stand Down event here in Libby, MT. Stand Down is an annual event put on every year by the Northwest Montana Veterans Stand Down & Food Pantry. The event drew veterans from Montana, Idaho and points beyond to the Libby, MT local VFW Post 1548. They formed a line that stretched out the door, across the parking lot and down half of a block. The event featured its signature give away of semi-truck loads (yes, plural) of surplus military personal equipment (boots, uniform items, cold weather gear, sleeping bags, socks, undergarments, ruck sacks, etc.), free influenza shots, free hair cuts, dental exams, VA personnel of all kinds passing out information about services and points of contact and a hot meal—enough to feed, well, an army. The volunteer group was enormous, cheerful and very eager to be helping any way they could.

Allen Erickson and Wilson

Mr. Allen W. Erickson is a veteran himself who unintentionally founded the effort back in 2000 after participating in other such events associated with the VA Hospital in Spokane, WA. The surplus from other Stand Down events was housed in a semi trailer in Allen Erickson’s yard, so he started calling other veterans and giving the items away locally in Kalispell. The funny thing about free-born Americans is that they are largely at heart very patriotic and manifestly benevolent to their beloved veterans. Through divine providence a farmer from Polson had heard of Allen Erickson’s effort to give away the surplus to veterans, so the farmer decided to drop off two 4’ cube pallets of potatoes with the instructions, “Now call the veterans, we will feed them and we will clothe them.” From there it was a short jump to doing Stand Down events locally, and in his first year of doing a Stand Down event, Allen Erickson had the largest such event in the nation. Twelve years later, the rest of the story is a history of not just annual events, but of an active year round food pantry, clothing outlet, an employment opportunities board, service center all housed in a large building plus robust connections with the VA.

“Veterans helping veterans” is not a cliché bumper sticker. A private organization that gives away 224,000 pounds of food in a year is obviously doing something right. Allen Erickson may not have set out to do something this large, but that is exactly what happened when he set out to do the right thing because he wondered who else would take care of these veterans.

fork lift

My favorite president of all time spoke of something called, “American Exceptionalism.” Anyone lucky enough to be born an American is special, but a veteran is an unique brand of American—one who at one time wrote a blank check to his/her country up to and including his/her life if need be for this great nation. Efforts like the Northwest Montana Veterans Stand Down & Food Pantry are exceptional and 100% American.

Truck Load

I am proud to welcome home my cousin back to Ft Riley in the near future after he concludes a long tour in Iraq. There are things that only he and I will be able to talk about because of the extraordinary conditions and experiences that only someone deployed to Iraq to take care of their nation’s business can understand. Yet it does not take a combat veteran to understand what it was like for someone like me coming back from Iraq (after an honorable discharge) and not being able to find a job. Anyone can be a volunteer, make a difference in the life of a veteran and reach out a “helping hand up.”

North West Montana Veteran’s Stand Down & Food Pantry Mission Statement:

North West Montana Veteran’s Stand Down & Food Pantry is dedicated to providing a “helping hand up” to homeless, low income, and at-risk veterans, their families, and dependent children.

You may reach them at:

1349 Hwy 2 East Kalispell, MT 59901 (406) 756-7304

http://veteransfoodpantry.org/

Pro Deo et Patria,

Wilson

My Less than Altruistic Motives for Kitchen Self-Sufficiency

Top ten list

Self Sufficiency, it is a goal. To that end, we started Pantry Paratus to help other people produce, prepare and preserve their own food surplus.

So how do you know when you have gotten there? What is the definition of self sufficiency? Do you get there when you reach food self sufficiency? How about economic self sufficiency?

It is my goal, so I may never reach complete self sufficiency (as in autonomy), but here are the top ten reasons why I make the pursuit:

10. If I take some time when I might have it then I have worked ahead on my kitchen prep for dinner on those days when I just do not have it in me to get it all done.

Rolling Pin

9. I am cheap. Frugal. Economically inclined. However you wanna say it.

Tater Skin Crispies by Kitchen Stewardship

8. If my house smells like fresh bread straight from the oven, it does NOT smell like poopy diaper or sweaty boy.

Challah Bread with Frontier Sesame Seeds in Bulk

7. A garden fresh tomato is not to be compared to the hormonally-ripened red replicas you buy in the grocery store. And since I ca not grow them all year around, dehydrating or canning them gives me that instant mental vacation back to summer days.

bowl of tomatoes

6. Most of my daily tasks do not result in immediate gratification; a row of cooling jars on the counter from an hour in the canner, now THAT is something I can see!

5. Most of my daily tasks do not require a great deal of skill (diapers, dishes, laundry), and I enjoy trying a new recipe or developing new skills to stretch myself.

4. I want my sons to marry girls who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty and who know how to work hard. I figure I probably ought to model that for them.

3. I want my daughter to be feminine, yet rugged in her ability to work from sun-up to sundown (and in a Northwest Montanan summer, that’s saying something) and I figure I probably ought to model that for her.

2. I still love to wiggle my naked toes in cool dirt. I still love to eat produce straight out of the garden, unwashed. My kids do too; these are the memories of summer.

1. I get better and faster at these skills as I go, and I can whip something up to wow last-minute dinner guests with very little effort!

Self Sufficiency, it is a worthy goal. What are your reasons? Leave a comment below!

Chaya

Photos Credits:

Rolling Pin by scottchan http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1701″

Tomato by Simon Howden http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=404

Carrots by Simon Howden http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=404

Prudence, Wisdom Applied

Prudence

Wisdom Applied

Many of us are trying to reclaim the lost things of the past. Some of us have taken up a hobby like knitting or calligraphy. Many are also beginning to incorporate old homemaking skills like entertaining guests, canning, gardening, and baking. We are just now beginning to understand the values of such forgotten things, and many of us are finding great joy in reclaiming these slivers of the past; gluing them into the mosaic of our modern lives. I have one more shard to lift out of the rubble, to dust off and reapply into your daily life. This one does not require a skill or some other time requirement. This is simply a word: prudence.

Learn it, begin using it and embrace it as it is a key component to complete world view as well as to daily life. It is so key, that it shares the stage with justice, restraint, and courage as one of the “four cardinal virtues”. St. Augustine gave this definition of prudence: “love distinguishing with sagacity between what hinders it and what helps it.”

Webster minces few words with this prudence definition, “wisdom applied to practice.” Did you catch that? Wisdom shows you the way that is right; prudence will keep you cautious and deliberate in attempting to complete your task at hand. It is the practical implication of how something must be done, not just the wisdom that it does need to be done. For instance, you may know that you are supposed to do something differently in regards to your children’s education, but how will you go about it? So many of the other moral virtues reside in the heart; prudence requires intellect.

Solomon listed prudence as one of his main reasons for writing the book of Proverbs; it was the reason for dispensing the wisdom in the first place (Proverbs 1:4). He gives the meaning of prudence, calls his listeners to understand what prudence truly is, and then explains the symbiotic relationship between wisdom and prudence in Proverbs 8:5-12:

O you simple ones, understand prudence, And you fools, be of an understanding heart.

Listen, for I will speak of excellent things, And from the opening of my lips will come right things;

For my mouth will speak truth; Wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

All the words of my mouth are with righteousness; Nothing crooked or perverse is in them.

They are all plain to him who understands, And right to those who find knowledge.

Receive my instruction, and not silver, And knowledge rather than choice gold;

For wisdom is better than rubies, And all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her.

“I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, And find out knowledge and discretion.

We must pray for wisdom, and wisdom will often answer what is good. Prudence is seeking knowledge and discretion to apply that wisdom. Prudence will guide us to apply that wisdom so that we go about it the proper way. Solomon personified wisdom here, saying “I (Wisdom) will find out knowledge and discretion by living with prudence.” I think of my three-year old toddler on this one; the other day I heard screaming and saw him sitting on his baby sister. When I questioned him, he was trying to strong-arm a marker out of her grip, because she is not allowed to have them. He had the wisdom to know that a sixteen-month-old should not have markers. He had no prudence to cautiously approach the situation to know how to go about it. I think we always lumped this into the “wisdom” category, and they are truly inseparable virtues. There are times, however, when we know what should be done, but are at a complete loss as to how. You have a name for that which you seek—prudence.

The apostle Paul says that God gives us prudence through the work of Jesus on the cross. God does not leave us lacking, and thus we can now wrap our arms around what truly gives prudence meaning. In Ephesians 1:3, Paul says that God the Father has given us every spiritual blessing through the work of Jesus Christ. He continues to say that God chose to adopt us and so we should strive to live blamelessly. He follows (v. 7-10):

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.

God uses both wisdom and prudence as the currency through which He bestows his blessings upon us, how wonderful! He uses them to make the “mystery of His will” known to us so that we can give Him pleasure. God implemented wisdom and prudence in the great plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. God is truly a God of love. And as St. Augustine so aptly reminded us (in my words), prudence is love’s use of wisdom to determine how to further the cause of love. God has given us His love, and His plan was indeed prudent.

Chaya

Photo Credits:

Prudence Sign http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1701

Category: Simple Living

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My Less than Altruistic Motives for Kitchen Self-Sufficiency

Top ten list

Prudence, Wisdom Applied

Prudence

Wisdom Applied

Produce, Prepare, & Preserve.