Farm Tour Slideshow

I just put together a little slideshow at GrasWerka's site-help to remind me of green glass and a clean house!

Baby It's Cold Outside!



Elegant patterns on the coop window-chickens snug inside

 Real Wisconsin winter is upon us, no more Mr Nice Guy!  The forecast was calling for negative single digits last night.  I've got the puffy down coat and -40 Carhart bib-overalls hanging in the hall.  Instead of just turning the light off in the chicken coop at 9pm, I switched them over to a red heat bulb for overnight.  Chicken popsicles are not my favorite flavor.  While the cold is dangerous and difficult to deal with, it is also heart-stoppingly beautiful.  As I crunched back to the house in the night, the stars looked so close, so bright, they just crowd the sky.  The half moon created shadows and made the snow sparkle.  The house ahead of me was lit up with warm yellow light, my loved ones inside.  Sigh...this is why I'm here...

Wolves?

Wolf in the Pasture?  Got me thinking that I am not the only predator on this farm!

First Prepper Step

Well not really first step, there are the chickens, wood stove and the passive solar house...
Today I bleached/cleaned 4 Reliance water jugs (7 gallons each) and filled for drinking water. I also filled (but didnt really clean) approx 30 gallons worth of water for the chickens. Soon we will have snow (this being Wisconsin in December) and then I will have a built in supply of water for non-drinking purposes. So at 1 gallon per day per person we are set for a short term emergency. More if I drain the water pressurizing tank. It's a small thing but makes me feel proactive!

American Preppers Network

Things are calming down around here. The business is sold, I have some work lined up doing hourly relief veterinary work. We close on Mom's house next week. Christmas stuff is (mostly) done. I am starting to 'play' with my art again. (I realized if I called it 'getting ready for the Show'-I would freeze up and be unable to be creative-so I PLAY with paint and pencil). I was almost ready to kick back and eat bon-bons with a good book for the rest of the winter :) Then my blogger friend Ruth had to start talkng about SHTF preppers...oh...right... I was going to be prepared, that was in our original list of goals for moving out here. Damn it! No bon-bons for me.
We wanted to be prepared for emergencies short or long. Prepared for that winter icestorm. Prepared for peak oil. Prepared for shortages of food at the grocery store. Prepared for Planet X Scratch that -if planet x comes we are all screwed and that's that.
Small things first for me- my truck needs a new battery. Bleach and fill those water jugs in the garage. Check the flashlight and battery supply. Be sure to have at least some cash on hand. Check my lamp oil/kerosene and wick/mantle supply. Matches. Diesel for the tractor/snow blower. Build a Faraday cage to protect electronics from EMP strike Whew...
I joined American Prepper Network, they seem sane. I have so many questions about everything from installing a handpump on the well to how much food to plant to how to protect my money from inflation. (No I will NOT buy any stupid gold but maybe some cows...)
What can you do to protect your family from an extended streak of mother nature on the rampage (or widespread civil unrest and martial law)?