Too Many Irons In The Fire

There are still so many things we need to do around here. So many projects. So many preparedness measures to get in order. It’s hard to prioritize them. Especially not knowing what the near future might hold.

So much has been on our minds.

Recently, the realization has hit us that if our area was ever evacuated for whatever emergency reason, or if civil unrest became a threat and we were unable to secure our home, we would have nowhere out of this area to run to. As of right now, there is no “bug-out” location.

Should we be looking for a place? Like we could even afford another home. Still, we’ve daydreamed a bit about an old cabin the the middle of a mountain somewhere. That’d be awesome.

Should we buy a camper? Wait. That would cost money. Hey, we could build one! Have you guys seen plans for homemade teardrop campers? Very cool. But then… where would we take it?

Should we turn an old trailer frame we have into a cargo trailer? You know, to load up with our tent, food, and other gear in case we have to evacuate?

We definitely need a bigger, better vehicle. Our old minivan is on its last leg, not to mention we’re packed like sardines in there with hardly enough room for our stroller. A Suburban, or an Expedition, maybe? I wonder if we could trade our minivan and pickup truck for an SUV.

And what about a root cellar? We definitely need a root cellar. We’ve been pouring over root cellar plans and instructions, and still can’t figure out a cost effective way to make one sufficient for our needs. Something to run to in a tornado. Something to protect us from fallout (you never know!). Something to store food in, that will stay dry and relatively pest free. Something that won’t cost us thousands of dollars, but won’t cave in either! Love the one I have pictured here.

I’d give anything to go back and have a basement put in under this house. (I know I’m repeating myself a bit here. Just spewing my thoughts.)

Should we be focused on storing up more food? Ammo? Meds? Or should we lean more toward wild foraging? As much of both as possible, I think.

So many things running through my mind preparedness-wise. We need bug-out-bags put together and ready to go. We need a plan. I’d really love to just hunker down where we are and not go anywhere, but in reality that just might not be a possibility one day. What then?

And then there are the projects that need to be done around here. Some cosmetic (’cause I’m seriously tired of looking like a junk yard around here), and some necessary and practical.

• The picket fence is falling down in places. I need to get that fixed. I’d love to paint the fence. And I still need to put the rest of the fencing up along one entire side of the yard.

• I’d love to have a front porch. Nothing huge, just something larger than a landing spot for one person at a time. I want to build one out of pallets, like the one in this picture. The good quality wood kind. Jerry has a few, but we need more. I found some porch railing for free on craigslist, which is now just sitting (and warping) in our yard, waiting to be installed somewhere. If I ever get a front porch I’ll be able to better plan some landscaping along the front of the house.

• We still have a bunch of small pine trees that need to be cleared from behind the house so we can use that space more efficiently. Jerry has slowly been working his way through them with a chainsaw. We plan on putting in a small orchard on one side of the area, and a fenced in pasture area for goats on the other side.

• I’ll need to plant a cover crop for the pasture. And we’ll need to put up adequate fencing.We’ll also need to build another shelter to house the goats in, and a milking area.

• We’ll need another chicken coop and run built soon. The chicks will be big before we know it, and the coop we have right now isn’t large enough for 26 more hens.

• We’ll also need a place to put the turkeys when they get big enough to put out. More fencing to put up, and a shelter to secure. We have an old aluminum shed we can use for the housing, just need to make it cozy.

• There are six roosters out there that are way overdue for butchering. Honestly, we’re procrastinating. I know Jerry is dreading the deed just as much as I am the cleaning process. I’m sure it gets easier with practice.