Let’s say the worst happens.
Life gets shut down because everyone is getting infected with a virus.
Don’t say Dan Brown didn’t call it. It freaked me out ever since I read it in 2013.
But, as my friend Jacob told his employees, “#Jesus isn’t coming back on the Coronavirus”.
While the coronavirus might not be apocalyptic, it certainly has us re-evaluating things about our lives.
Do we rely too much on technology?
Are our increasingly #toxic lifestyles a risk factor for #infection?
Why the heck does no one know basic home economics skills?
Millennials don’t even know how to cook! As a on-the-cusp-milennial, I can say that I see this often in my peer group (and in myself!). There is no reason to do something difficult if it can be done for you, right?
I was thinking through the sheer irritation of my day without the following conveniences:
internet
refrigerator
hot water heater
laptop
amazon
Ugh, it’s enough to make you quite #depressed. On that note, what if we can’t access our antidepressants?! Will a whole generation of adults just walk around, morose and despondent all day?
Methinks no, since we will all have a purpose- actual survival.
What if someone does your jobs for you all day long? Cooking, laundry, childcare, personal hygiene, shopping– what is our purpose without work? Better yet, this.
I say this as one who has partaken in all of the tantalizing shortcut modern life offers. Don’t think I am speaking to just you.
The more I take, the less I do- the more despairing I become. But the less I think about myself, the more #grounded I become.
Do you ever feel like this?
If you become a little more self-sufficient, you become a little more #confident. Come what may, ya damn Coronavirus, I am prepared.
So let’s get into some homesteading basics (really, basics) that will help you feel more confident in meeting controversy head-on. Here is my top five list.
1. Get a cast iron skillet.
If it cannot be cooked in a #skillet, over an open flame, don’t freaking eat it.
If it ever was alive in any fashion, at any point, it can be cooked in a skillet over an open flame.
This includes the following (and more!)
If you do nothing else but cook #fish, game, fowl, and #veggies over a stove (or a backyard fire!), you will feel pretty badass. Stock up on salt and #butter and you should be just fine.
Also, skillets are cheap and easy to clean and keep seasoned.
All those #foods are whole and real, so you’re winning nutritionally as well!
2. Make a fire
You can’t really cook any of those delicious dishes without an open flame (let’s say the gas and electricity are cut!)- so do this:
Make a fire with household items.
With fire, you can cook. You can boil water to clean clothes (you may need this with every Walmart being out of toilet paper). You can make #coffee!
3. Learn a basic stitch
You will use this tutorial all of the time.
Kid loses a button? You’re on it! #Husband pops an underarm seam? Look who comes to the rescue! Stock a few needles and basic thread in colors like black, white, ivory, gray, and navy, and you are good to go.
4. Stock a Mommy Tool Box
You need the following in your #Mommy Tool Box:
Allen Wrenches
Nothing comes ready to assemble anymore without needing an Allen Wrench. This week, the handle popped off of my refrigerator and I panicked for a moment. Then I grabbed my Allen Wrench and studied the large handle momentarily, loosened the screws that needed loosening, positioned the handle into place, and tightened those annoyingly tiny little screws. I didn’t have to bother Beau with something trivial and I got to feel all proud of myself for a few minutes. Thanks, Allen Wrenches!
Adjustable Screwdriver Set
If you’re hanging cute #family photos, putting together furniture from Ikea or Target, or rehanging a cabinet door, you’re going to need a great screwdriver set. In the apocalypse, these will come in handy when you’ve got to hang a mirror or painting over your safe room entrance.
Drywall Anchors
On that note, drywall anchors are the apocalyptic homemaker’s close friend. Let’s say your stud finder has died and you can’t recharge it. You can use your drywall anchors to hang items weighing up to 50 pounds!
Real Emergency Survival Kit
All lightheartedness aside, it won’t hurt to have a real #emergency pack, all neat and tidy in a backpack. Keep it under your bed or in the car (or one in each spot!) just in case.
Water Purification Drops
Here are some other ways to purify your water. I always have #iodine and MMS drops on hand.
5. Oil Of Oregano
#Oil of #Oregano kills many of the pathogens that can cause illness. This is anecdotal and there is little research to support this claim, but I see it work well in my own family and in many other families. It is something that I would highly recommend to have on hand as emergency folk medicine. Get yourself to a medical professional if you or your family members are actually ill. However, as a preventative and early first-line defense, oregano oil is gold. Take 2 drops directly in the mouth at any sign of impending #illness.
Bonus:
Use this natural and cheap substance to prevent the spread of #coronavirus (And other viruses) on surfaces and hands:
That’s all, my friends. #Prayers and well wishes to you and your families. Be safe, be wise, and be secure in the provision and care of the #Lord.
To your health,
Jennifer
