Living Life in Rural Iowa

One of the areas of prepping that does not always cross one's mind is prepping for the elderly. We all have older people in our lives who will need us in a situation or a crisis. Most of us are planning on our parents or grandparents joining us if they need a place to stay. We may have the elderly neighbor who may need our help. We may have an aunt or uncle who need us. The elderly have things they need that we may not think of. We may not want to think of us ever needing them, but the truth is we probably will. Having these things on hand will make life much more comfortable for the elderly as well as making them a more functional part of the household. In a SHTF situation, every capable person will be needed in any way they can contribute. Keeping these items on hand will make that situation better for them and for you. 12 Must Have Items For Prepping For The Elderly 1. Eyeglasses. Many will have their own, but sometimes people do not need glasses until much older. Some

February is here! The month of love, the month of cabin fever, the month of boredom... Actually, we haven't had much in the way of cabin fever. The month started out cold, but today we will be in the 60's for temperatures! In February! I will take it! Just to have a thunderstorm and snowstorm at the end of the month...February you fickle.... We are just patiently waiting for Spring to come by trying to get stuff done indoors. We are still working on that bedroom that I hope to have the painting done by the end of the weekend. We have the floor done. (YES!) The walls have been given a couple coats of paint to freshen it up, but we decided to go back and do the trim. It needed to be touched up and I couldn't match the original color so I decided to do it again. While I am doing that, the ceiling will need to be done again. And the quarter round will need to be bought, painted, cut and attached. So much fun! I still want to get the upstairs hallway painted too t

Spring! The promise of hope. The start of the growing season. The warmer temperatures and fickle weather. The possibilities of what can be done! I love Spring! Winter is over except for the possibility of a late snowstorm. Summer is coming. You can be outside most of the time without freezing your gluteus maximus. Which is a good thing because there is so much to do in the Spring on a homestead! 20 Things You Can Do On Your Spring Homestead: 1. Start seeds inside. Check out your planting zone, but now is a good time to start onions, tomatoes, peppers, and other things you might buy as plants at the store. 2. As soon as your planting zone allows, plant seeds in your garden. You can plant radishes and other cold-hardy vegetables and greens as soon as the frost is out of the ground. Most of them will survive a late frost also. 3. Fix fences. Winter can be harsh on your fences. While the ground is fairly soft (not soggy), now is a good time to put new stakes in the ground and

The Victorian age in Britain was a fascinating time. Many changes were made from the beginning of the century to the end. Britain experienced a massive industrial upheaval becoming more mechanized and more advanced as the century went on. In the United States, we went through many upheavals resulting in the Industrial Age at the end of the century. We were exploring the West as pioneers, experiencing mass immigration from other countries, went through the War of 1812, the Civil War, and the Spanish American War. Many similarities were experienced between both countries.The daily life of people were essentially the same. A lot of people nowadays think they want to go back to this time, but they don't always realize the work that was involved. I just got done reading How To Be A Victorian: A Dawn-To-Dusk Guide To Victorian Life by Ruth Goodman . What an eye opening book! I also have read a lot of pioneer books , industrial age books , and immigrant life in America books fro

As I have mentioned before, I have an online book store through Ebay. At any given time, I have at least 400 books and magazines listed with more always ready to be listed. I don't just sell books and magazines, but that is my main focus. I really like selling on Ebay so I keep going. I believe in first, second, and third streams of income. I have a regular 7:30-4:30 job that provides me with insurance, 401K, and income to pay the bills. I have this blog, another new blog, and an often neglected YouTube channel. Then I have the online book store. The rest of these provide supplemental income. I have never intended them to be more than that, but would never mind if they became more than that. What has been on my mind lately is what will I do if we have a collapse of any sort. All my current streams of income rely on a steady internet connection and electricity. How will I survive in a collapse situation? Can I reasonably do any of these jobs without internet and electricity?

February can be the most boring month of the year. You are still cooped up in the house. The snow and ice are still making their appearance. Valentine's Day is still a holiday. You know blah, blah, blah. In other words, February is a prime month for cabin fever! As usual, though, I am here for you! I have five prepping things to do in February that will definitely help your preps as well as give you a piece of mind. I did concentrate on the letter "F" for things to do. All these things are easy things to do, should be done with your family, and can easily be accomplished this month.  1. First Aid. How is your First Aid Kit? How are your First Aid supplies? I discovered one day last month that I was out of several types of Band-Aids. I found out when I sliced open the top of my finger. Not a great time to find out, by the way. I made due with what I had, but definitely put those things on my next shopping list.  2. Clean Out and Organize One Area of Food Storag