Living Life in Rural Iowa

We watch a fair amount of NASCAR. I am continually impressed by the amount of strategy, teamwork, and hard work that goes into this sport. The drivers work hard to be in good condition so they can endure the 500-600 laps races. The teams have meetings to figure out what they can do better and how to improve their chances of winning. When it all comes together, victory is sweet. Prepping is or should be like that. As a prepper, you have should have a plan or a strategy. You should have attainable goals and be seeking to accomplish them. In racing the team wants to win, of course. However, they set their goals to be improving their time, their position, and have a better performing car. You should be looking to improve your skills. You should be continually working towards your goals. You should have a plan for what you are preparing for and how you can be ready. You want to win at prepping too and that is only achieved when a situation hits and you are ready. In the meantime, you

( In December, I wrote an article for the Rootsy Network where I am a guest contributor. I love what they are doing over there! If you are into homesteading, self-reliance, and do-it-yourself, you must check them out! ) When I started homesteading, I did not decide to homestead because I wanted to make money. I homesteaded because I wanted to live a simpler life and provide for myself by producing my own food. After trying to unsuccessfully garden for a few years, I figured out what I was doing wrong. With the garden going strong, I wanted to continue on the homesteading journey. To me, the next logical step was to get egg-laying chickens. Being a rookie chicken owner, I ordered fifteen brown egg laying chicks in a variety of breeds. They came in the mail, I picked them up as soon as the post office called, and we got them set up in their place. We lost about five of them within a week. I went to the local feed store and purchased six more chicks. For the rest of this article,