I'd like to touch on the beginning of every day, and how we can keep it much the same if/when the world falls down around our ears...
When you wake up in the morning, your feet hit the floor and you make your bed and head to the shower. You dry off, dress, and head to the kitchen for breakfast... what if running water were a thing of the past, your bed were a sleeping bag, and your kitchen were reduced to a large pot hanging over a fire? This is just the first two hours of your day!
Here's the deal, in a SHTF situation, you can still get a shower, dress in cothing that makes you feel normal, and make a hot, filling, great tasting breakfast.
Everyone attempts to tell you what you should eat for breakfast, and what you should use (tools) to cook it. I want to tell you to stock pile spices and flavoring. Sugar, salt, pepper, bay leaves, dried parsley, vinegar, hot sauce, freeze dried onions and garlic. Be sure to plant yourself some onion and garlic, that way you'll have fresh to use, before the freeze dried. Also, coffee, coffee, a little chocolate, and coffee. Oh, and how could I forget coffee (and the filters for making coffee, and straining grey water).
That covers food, since I'm sure you'll read all the other blogs about making preps, and stash away plenty of canned goods, dry food, and water. Let's talk about that thing that makes us feel human: the hot shower. If you have a well, or live near a stream, you'll have plenty of water for this. Attach a five gallon bucket to a tree, punch holes into the bucket, build a ladder or steps up to the bucket. Pour water that you've heated over a fire into the tree-attached bucket. Bam--shower. Or, an option I like even better because it's great for indoors or out:
Don't forget to put back soap, shampoo, towels, toothbrushes, dental floss (this makes great fishing line, among other things), and tooth paste. A mirror, and some razors of all types is a great idea, as well (they also have multiple uses).
To punch holes into the bucket, and attach it to the tree, you"ll need hand tools, and hardware. Don't skimp on these. You never know when someone may need to borrow (I.e. take home and never bring back) a tool. Many sites will tell you to follow the rule of three, the item you need, a back up in case it breaks, and a back up for the back up.
House hold cleaners are something else you'll want to stock pile. Ones you use on a regular basis, as well as ones you don't normally have a need for. If you have something you'll never use, it may come in handy as a bartering tool. While stocking cleaners, be sure to stock up on laundry soap and fabric softener.
(I'm sure it's not high tech in alllll of Mexico... Hubby is from the Philippines, and he says that "rich" families have washing machines, but "poor" people wash by hand. I.E. They know what it is, they just choose to use their money for other necessities. Just wanted to share my thoughts... Also, I'm not promoting LDS, I'm just a fan of prepping.)
I know you think I'm strange, saying things like "stock up on chocolate and fabric softener..." but it's the little things that will help with morale. Maybe you'll only use fabric softener once a month, or after a particularly tough week, but it will help drive you on towards a better, safer life in the new world.
Next week, I'll post more about how to handle our business in the bathroom, when there is no running water/limited water supply. (No running water means no electricity to run the pumps, which means no flushing. See how this could get yucky, very quickly?)
Until we all have to deal with some disaster, we'll have the internet. So, I'm going to share some lighthearted fun with you all:
Signing off with a flourishing wave,
V.
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