30 Day Preparedness Challenge ~ Week 2

 

The sweetest smelling blooms on the plum tree = lots of summer fruit!

They say that hindsight is 20/20 and I suppose that if we had known what was coming to the world the last two years then we would have been a lot better equipped to meet those challenges without panic or fear. We would have been in a position to help others, to share what we have, and to promote a sense of calm and preparedness when everything else seemed to be spiralling out of control. 

But then, if we continue to look towards the classics as a form of inspiration, then we should not be surprised when life does not go exactly as we planned it. Think of the quote I used in my last post on Preparedness from The Long Winter. Pa Ingalls said:

"These times are too progressive. Everything has changed too fast. Railroads and telegraph and kerosene and coal stoves--they're good things to have, but the trouble is, folks get to depend on 'em.”

I think it's particularly relevant here because, we have all come to rely on so many of our modern, creature comforts and if and when these comforts disappear we find ourselves afraid and lost. I'm currently reading Jane Austen's Emma (a delightful, escapist read that deserves a post all to itself), but this particular quote struck me as pertinent:

"There are people, who the more you do for them, the less they will do for themselves."

Although in this instance it is referring to Emma's matchmaking the sense remains the same. People rely on things, or on others, for their comfort and sense of security. We need to rely on ourselves and be prepared for when those comforts to which we are accustomed are suddenly taken away or made unavailable. 

This week, Annabel at The Bluebirds are Nesting on the Farm continued with her 30 Day Preparedness Challenge and I continued right along with her. We had a busy week - our second week of working and learning from home - but I always made the time to check in on her website to see what tidbits of wisdom she was sharing each day. And there were some great ones!

Day 5 - Water

I commented at Annabel's blog that this was one area that we are not very prepared in, despite suffering through the drought and intense bushfires in the summer 2019/2020. We bought two 1000L water tanks last year, one we cut in half and turned in to two raised garden wicking beds. These use less water and the produce likes to grow all snuggled in together. The other is still sitting in our yard, up against the wall, waiting for a pipe to attach it to the roof. It's not a lot of water, by any standard, but having 1000L of rainwater is much better than having none at all! We also only have a couple of store-bought bottles of water for emergencies (although these particular ones were bought for camping) so that stock could also be increased. In our camping supplies we have a water filter, which is very handy especially if you have access to a creek or river.

Day 6 - Utilities

These may seem like a no-brainer, but I actually didn't know where the main switch to our gas line was. I now know how to switch off (and on) the electric mains, the water and the gas. This could prove to be very important in the future and only took two minutes of my husband's time to show me!

Day 7 - The Pantry

 At the end of 2019 when I started to plan a little stock pile of pantry goods, I also decided to start an inventory. My sister-in-law had warned me that when she had her deep freezer she always forgot what was at the bottom and things spoiled or got freezer burn. Every time we do a big grocery shop (with supplies for the extended pantry/freezer) I go through the inventory, taking stock of what we used, what we bought and what should go on the list for next time. This has been an enormous asset, and stopped us from having 18 packs of sausages but no chicken!

 The next step, as Annabel suggests, is to have a list of 2-4 weeks worth of meals that can be made with what is in the pantry. I've started working on this today, and plan to continue until I have at least 14 meals worth. I'm sure we have the ingredients, I just need to allocate them to different meals and be intentional about what can be made (this also flexes my creative muscles!) There are so many videos on Youtube using pantry staples to make meals, and Pinterest is a great place to store all those ideas! 

As we came out of quarantine yesterday we were able to collect some groceries from our online order which went a long way to replenishing the food we had used up in the past two weeks. So glad I had that food in reserve!

Another thing I would like to add is that now is the time to stock up on seeds for spring. Last winter, when we were in lockdown, seeds ran out very quickly in stores locally. I have collected quite a few packs (during summer when we weren't in lockdown) and have them safely tucked away ready to go in spring.

Day 8 - Cash and Tangibles

Do you keep cash in your house or in your car? I think that this was a particularly insightful suggestion for Annabel to make, because so many of us these days rely on cards and contactless ways of paying. And yet, if the power goes down, or the system is compromised in any way, how will you be able to buy what you need? Having a small supply of cash in the house is incredibly handy, and luckily this was one that we were already on top of!

Day 9 - Production / Self-Reliance

Today I went out to visit our chickens and discovered that another hen has started laying. Of the five hens that we have, only two will lay through the winter (the greedy yet productive Isa Browns!). The others have a little rest. I was so please to see the pale blue egg in amongst the brown ones.

As I mentioned on Day 7, I am pleased that I have a good supply seeds ready for spring planting. This winter we have relied heavily on our eggs, pumpkin, lettuce and and spring onion supplies but come spring and winter we hope to have a lot more produce in the garden. The wicking beds kept the lettuce and spinach well protected from the elements and the pesky possum and I look forward to planting new things in the next couple of weeks.

Our winter wicking bed

All winter we have maintained our compost and added a healthy dose of both chicken and rabbit poop to it to help make it rich and good for the garden beds. This does take time to break down, but it should be ready to go by spring. 

I was also wanting another apple tree or two (we only have two which are producing well but not enough for our family of five!). I was pleased to see that one of the nectarines that we transplanted last year is full of blooms, as are the plums and apricot trees.

Nectarine blooms

A big thank you to Annabel for her challenge! It has certainly helped make clear in my mind, at least, what we have and which areas need improvement. And we aren't even halfway through the 30 days yet!

If you are joining along or have other ways that you are working on being prepared, please let us know in the comments below!

Kirsty x