Ok, I have a question for all of you. Why do the squirrels gather nuts and store them? Hopefully you all took a moment to think about that.
While living in upstate New York, I noticed as I walked around the squirrels were always carrying nuts and stuff in their mouths. As we all know they do this so they have food in the winter. If they didn’t gather they wouldn’t survive the winter or the hard times. This last winter we were buried in snow with very cold temperatures, the trees were bare and the squirrels were hidden away. At least, I didn’t see any of them. As things started to warm up the squirrels started coming out again. They survived! Why is that? They have a natural instinct to prepare themselves for the cold winters. How can we apply what they do to our lives? Perhaps some of us don’t really think that bad things can or will happen here in our lifetime. Nevertheless, they can. One family lost their Father/husband in Dec. of 2008. Some may be looking at job losses because of the economy. And of course, we never know what Mother Nature will bring us. So, what does the squirrels’ winter represent for us? It can be tough times when the trees are barren. If we are to apply the squirrels’ preparation to our own lives then we would gather up some nuts/food & other stuff for those times ahead which are unforeseen or are they seen and we ignore them? Following are some ideas:
Look at what you have and determine how long you could survive if you couldn’t go to the store for a long period of time because of finances or for whatever reason. Assess your needs.
Living in tough times:
Water storage: Water can be stored in thoroughly washed plastic, glass, or fiberglass. Soda pop bottles work great. Don’t use containers that have toxic material in them, avoid milk containers. Treat non-chlorinated water with a preservative like chlorine bleach, to prevent growth of microorganisms. Use liquid bleach that contains 5.25 % sodium hypochlorite & no soap. Add 4 drops of bleach per quart of water (or 2 scant tsps per 10 gallons) and stir up. Seal water containers tightly, label them & store in a cool, dark place. It is good to rotate the water every 6 months to a year.
Food: It is recommended to have at least a 3 month to a year supply of food for those times where it is impossible for us to get to stores for whatever reasons. Or perhaps the reason could be the store shelves have been emptied by an emergency. Start small, adding a few extra items every week of the things your family will eat. On a regular basis rotate it. I know during my husbands two year commute we were strapped financially having two residences to pay for. We certainly did not expect it to last for 2 years. Me and the kids ended up using our food storage which helped keep our expenses down.
Savings: It is recommended to have 3 or more months living expenses saved up in case of job loss or for whatever reasons. It makes it possible to not get behind. This also is built up gradually as a person puts away some every paycheck. Stay out of debt and live within your means. It is also helpful to have some cash on hand for if something ever happens that shuts down the banking system for a time.
Plant a garden: learning to grow gardens can be very useful. We can also bottle some of the food for the winter. Growing gardens helps us to learn skills that may come in handy for those times we may need to live off of a garden that we grow.
Emergency Preparedness helps us to be self-reliant during troublesome times. It can also help us to be prepared to help others.