The Garden, Preparing, Etc.

This is Week 6 (for me) of the Independence Days Challenge. Here's what we've been up to:

I put a fence around the garden to keep the rabbits and cats out, and we put in stakes next to the new raspberry canes so we can string them up a bit. The pole beans finally sprouted yesterday. One strawberry in the patch is turning red and many more are trying to ripen. The potatoes are growing by leaps and bounds, even though it's been so cold here in Central Minnesota. Temps in the 70s by day and 50s by night, with lots of cool breezes and quite a bit of rain too. The tomatoes, peppers and beans don't love this, but the potatoes and peas are happy.

Everyone is SO curious about our potatoes in tires, I can't tell you the questions we've had. Where are you getting the dirt? (best way is from compost with some peat mixed in, though we're also using some black dirt we had left over from taking down raised berms). Are they really growing in there? Where will the potatoes grow? (The plants will form rootlets, I'm told, as we bury them in dirt, from which potatoes will emerge.) What will you do with the dirt when you're done? (Haven't figured that out yet, as we shouldn't use it to grow potatoes in again because of possible blight.) One neighbor proclaimed "I'm so doing this next year!" when he saw how tall the potatoes are growing already. I think they like the black tires for warmth. Anyway, this is an experiment for us too so we'll keep you posted on how it all works out.

Another rain barrel has been added to the homestead. I promise I won't keep showing you a new one each week! We are done for now, really and truly. Three feels like enough now, though the third one is almost full just one day after we put it up. We are blessed with much rain this year, and also blessed not to be flooding like our dear neighbors to the south in Iowa.

Speaking of flooding, all this talk about "draconian measures" being taken in Iowa has really brought home the need to prepare for emergencies. I have been stocking up on drinking water in case something would happen to our water treatment system. FEMA, Homeland Security and others have been telling us for years to prepare for emergencies with 72 hours' worth of food and water handy at all times. Who's been doing this? I bet many of you think people who do are just wackos (as I used to!), and here in Minnesota we don't have emergencies like this, etc. Well, our southern Minnesota city of Rochester didn't expect 11 inches of rain in one day last year but they got it. With each new "500 year flood" or other terrible event it is being brought home to me that a person should really prepare just in case. We won't drink our stored water unless we have to; it's good for a year so when the expiration date is getting close we'll use it for camping or a road trip and then re-stock for the next year. Why not?

I've also been putting a little money toward extra canned goods and storable foods each time I shop. Canned tuna was $.50 a can last night at the supermarket and since I haven't seen that price in a long time I bought a dozen cans. I also have a case of canned salmon, canned beans, pasta, toilet paper, ziplocs, etc. I'm even now working on "bug out bags" with 72 hours' worth of emergency food and water for each person in the family. Here's a photo some guy posted on Flickr of his bug-out bag; I found it by googling and thought it was really helpful to see. I'm packing similar things, but with better food supplies, in two backpacks so far, soon to be four. Each person who can carry a bag should have one. The Minneapolis Star Tribune had a link a couple of weeks ago to Minnesota's preparedness website, and it's helpful too. It's quite inexpensive to do this, and I figure it can't hurt. Besides weather events, the high cost of fuel has some talking about a trucker's strike or just so many truckers going out of business that stores may have shipment delays in the near future. This has been happening in Spain, Portugal, France and England to varying degrees in the past month. It's a different world we're living in right now. If nothing else we'll take the food and other prep. stuff camping someday.

With all the strange stuff happening in the world lately it's hard not to feel discouraged, but the flowers are blooming and the sun still shines. Even the rain is a blessing to our parched earth. Everyday I am so thankful for all we have, our home and children and family and friends. I'm praying that others will know so many blessings in their lives too.