Mud Cakes and Alarm Clocks

Today’s article isn’t any profound doctrine or statement. It’s an observation or two and of course a lot of opinion.

I’ve been wondering how many of you have made a determined effort in the last week to find your recipe for mud cakes. You read it right MUDCAKES! I’m also wondering how many of you have knocked your clock on the floor trying to turn off that incessant alarm that has gone crazy and simply will not turn off – even though many of us are trying to ignore it.

Back to the mud cakes; the simplest recipe I know is to stir together in a bowl, if you have one, 3 cups of dirt and 1/3 to ½ cups of water. As you read, most of you are assuming I am referencing clean water out of a tap or bucket. Let’s clarify – any water will do.

And that alarm clock that is still ringing – now in the background. Yes, it has been a week, the photos of rubble and terrified faces are now on the third page instead of the front page. It is the third news story mentioned instead of the first, now placed behind another scandal or sensational political tidbit. The blaring headlines are fading and yes life does go on – somehow, one way or the other. It’s that other that I am concerned about.

Again, back to the mud cakes. By now you may have figured out that I am reflecting upon the events in Haiti. And I am assuming you are reading this under the shelter of your roof, sitting on a chair in front of a not-too-old computer. Perhaps dinner is in the crock pot simmering while you read. The recipe for mud cakes is real. It is what many, many mothers in Haiti fed their children BEFORE the earthquake hit. This is what they ate in order to have something on their stomachs. If they were very, very fortunate they might have had a small amount of flour or meal of some sort to mix with it. And now most of the ingredients for this unbelievable recipe are gone or at best contaminated.

This article is not meant to take away from any and all of the help and assistance that has been sent to this crippled country. It’s meant to cause you to take a second and third look at what could very easily and very quickly happen in your/our little corner of the world. Most likely, never to the extent of suffering and deprivation of the Haitian event, but happen it can.

Lo and behold, on a quiet, somewhat peaceful morning it only took a few minutes for devastation to surround an entire nation, wiping out any sense of security that might have existed. It only took once.

Yes, I lived near the epicenter of the 7.2 Loma Prieta earthquake in California. And I survived. I even survived with some confidence and security. It came stealthily on a fall afternoon, and within just a few minutes all sense of security was gone. It only took once.

Once again a huge wake- up call has sounded. Maybe you have some preparedness taken care of. Perhaps you think all is going to be okay or that you will get by. Can you? Will you? Will the ingredients for your recipes still be in place?

My heart breaks for the mothers and parents of Haiti. We can help them, somewhat. We most certainly can continue to beg and plead for Heavenly Father to bless and help them.

But while there is still time and that alarms continue to ring, take that second and third look. Update, adjust, stir in more, do whatever it takes to have your recipes clearly written with the proper ingredients for you on hand.

Bending the Rules A Little

It seems that with suggestions of panic, rationing, food shortages, intermingling with war, politics, etc. resounding through news, the interest in being prepared is once again on the rise. Or should we say “still on the rise …”

Many people think that this is the time of year to be making goals, creating new habits or drastically changing your life to fit another path or direction. I will be different and suggest some practicality … I hope. Instead of trying something new or exotic (exotic? Hmmmm), why don’t we concentrate on continuing to work on some projects that have been around for a long time, such as a program that many have felt impossible to complete. Yep, here we go AGAIN. Yes, I am referring to preparedness.

Once again, may I suggest that you consider your preparedness preparations with renewed enthusiasm and insight?

You need to know the Preparedness is implanted deeply in my DNA. I have a firm belief that your faith is one of the prime factors allowing you to succeed … or not.

Since many of you may not know me very well, it is important for you to understand where I am coming from as I voice opinions and teach preparedness principles and concepts with my articles and website.

As you read these articles and evaluate some of the suggestions you must keep in mind that being able to care for my family at all times and in all situations may have warped my perspective somewhat.

For many years we didn’t always have the funds or facilities to have the ideal products or pantry. Through the years, faith and desperation have combined to persuade me that I could find pantry space, and I could make it work, no matter what the proper storage rules said should or shouldn’t work. I learned that if I had enough faith I could bend the rules to make what I had to work with function – even thought they said it shouldn’t have.

Should you mistakenly think it was all coincidence or luck, I need to share an underlying belief and practice. We prayed over our meager home storage a lot. We gave thanks that we had it and then prayed it would be protected so that we wouldn’t lose it. And then we prayed to be able to find the ways to stretch our meager funds to be able to obtain more. You see for a long time our preparedness was sort of seasonal. The season being that there was a paycheck coming – from somewhere, sometime. Our paychecks came from royalties twice a year – in July and January. Each paycheck had to be stretched for the next six months. This was the situation when we went back to school

Then, always trying to better our situation, we moved a lot. Many times due to less than ideal pantry conditions our supplies fried in the summer and froze in the winter. Once after a hurricane (in Utah!), we tracked down our storage and the shed it had been stored in. We found it down the street in a neighbor’s yard. And then we prayed some more! In fact, we prayed for our “survival” year round.

One year, we moved back to California, after having moved to Utah. Our preparedness supplies, always a priority, were moved as well. It had been several years of preparedness supplies being stashed in those less than perfect pantry conditions. It was now time to unpack our supplies and put them away on shelves Larry had just finished constructing in the garage. It was my intent to sort and discard much of it, because, “after all ‘they said’ it wouldn’t be good. How could it have survived through such instability and extreme temperature fluctuations?” I sat on our garage floor and cried; not tears of frustration, but tears of gratitude! Very little had to be discarded, including hundreds of quart bottles filled with home canned fruit that were not broken.

Therefore, one of my personal guidelines is that not only do you do the best you can with what you have, you allow the Lord to help!

With that foundation you will discover in future articles more details and attention given to those pantry ideas and areas that might not be considered “traditional pantry space”, as well as ways to store and keep your products that have worked – by bending the rules a little and praying a lot.

I share these thoughts and experiences to encourage you as the news continues to drone on in negativity. You can continue in a positive way – even if you think that your “funds or facilities” are not ideal.

President Gordon B. Hinckley has counseled, “Begin in a small way … and gradually build toward a reasonable objective.” (To the Men of the Priesthood, the Liahona and Ensign, Nov. 2002, p.58)

As you assess what to do and how, remember to always include Heavenly Father in your plans and projections, with a profound, sincere, “Thank You” when you are blessed. I love the concept that “Faith precedes the miracle.” Miracles abound in preparedness programs, no matter where you live!

Develop a firm belief that your faith is one of the prime factors that will allow you to succeed … or not.
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Is Your Emergency Cupboard Bare?

At this time of year it’s important to step back and review another kind of cupboard. If you can’t find one in your home it’s time to create one! It’s one that should really be maintained full at all times. But for some reason we seem to be willing to concentrate on it more now than when the sun was shining every day and parks, picnics and beaches filled our minds. I’m referring to your Emergency Cupboard.

So then, what is on the shelves of your emergency cupboard? Please note right away I am not talking about “home storage” and the “infamous” ten-thousand pounds of wheat you should have under your bed. (Isn’t that the rumor one always hears about? Well, close to it anyway.)

Before winter’s grip becomes a stranglehold, it’s time for you to realistically assess what you might come up against this winter – or even late fall as the storm season progresses in your part of the world. You need to be prepared with the solutions to these problems before they occur. In any winter emergency, whether at home or in the car, two of the biggest villains that may have to be conquered are the wet and cold, combined with lack of food (or foods that can be made edible). If one, let alone both of these factors exist, a simple problem can be compounded to critical intensity.

Let’s take a closer look at just what things you need to have on the shelves of this cupboard.
It is of vital concern that you have the proper resources to get dry – and then be able to stay dry. Keep in mind that layered clothing will prove to be warmer than a ski-type suit. A poncho, tarp, emergency blanket, or even a garbage bag with head and arm holes cut out, will help protect the body. Be sure to have a warm hat and gloves if exposure to severe weather is a probability. Emergency heat and light should also be considered as priorities as well.

Foods that require no refrigeration, little or no cooking and little preparation are an absolute must. It is extremely important to assess the individual needs of your household members. Will you be providing for an infant, elderly person or someone with a severe allergy? It will make a difference as to what kinds of food products you keep in your emergency cupboard.

Shop, read and compare to find the items with the versatility to meet your needs as well as staying within your budget. Do not be misled into complacency because you happen to have several candles and one container of canned heat.

I strongly recommend that you hold several practice sessions with whatever you have planned to use in an emergency. This definitely is not the kind of situation where you want to have on-the-job training. Practice sessions – without any cheating and relying on the “regular stuff” you have handy in the kitchen- could be a real eye-opener.

Begin listing items or products that will be essential to meet your needs during a winter or storm emergency. Assess your cupboards and closets for items you may already have on hand that will work without having to rely on regular utilities. Many things will function in a different scope than normally used when viewed with a different perspective.

It only takes moments to recognize that the purchase of some items may be necessary to have an emergency cupboard that can function properly. As you plan your monthly budget try including a specific amount to cover the costs of these items. It may mean that you spread the cost over several months. That’s okay, especially if you buy the most critical items first.

You can do it. Find the enthusiasm you need to keep going. Just imagine the feeling you will have when the thunder gets so loud you think your house is falling apart, the lightning is so bright it lights up the room in the daylight, and the rain coming down isn’t just rain, it’s a deluge; but you will have security in a box or cupboard. You will be able to know that you and yours will be okay because you put forth a little effort. It’s a great feeling! I know! Just keep the teddy bears handy- they work for one and all when the thunder gets really loud!

A Calendar Watch and Awareness to Boost Your Shopping Skills

As November comes into view get a tighter grip on your shopping skills as well as your shopping lists. Many retailers look forward to the day after Thanksgiving, because it hails as the biggest shopping day of the year. It competes stiffly with the day after Christmas, because in many ways it formally ushers in the Christmas shopping season. At least it used to, now many Christmas holiday promotions appeared on the shelves along with the Halloween ghosts and goblins, some even before. Most of us by this time will be well aware of the pressures of holiday buying. Therefore, this Calendar Watch and Awareness for November is to encourage you to intensify conscientious shopping skills, and of course enjoy doing so!

Holiday hype will continue to escalate in all areas. The word sale will appear more often with greater intensity and inferred urgency. Many stores and outlets will be capitalizing on the fact that a lot of us are experiencing difficult economic times. Ads will proclaim that the prices are truly lower and the bargains better now than they have been in a long time. A few may be, but I would suggest that most probably won’t be. Price awareness is an absolute must if your budget matters!

So that a “Scrooge” attitude does not mar your holiday happiness and shopping pleasure, plan in detail the amounts you can spend and in what category! Happily stick to your plan.
As the ads and media blitzes try to convince you that you may not be properly keeping up with what “they” say or show as the “only” way to have a perfect holiday, remember this key thought – ADVERTISING IS USUALLY NOT REALITY – even though you are expected to perceive it as such. Of course, all of our last names are not Jones or Smith (Apologies to all the legitimate Jones and Smiths) nor Prunewitz. A rule of thumb is to plan enthusiasm and fun into whatever amount that you do have. Zip? Give your time and caring as gift coupons and still count the blessing you do have. This is not an ethereal sermon – “been there, done that and wore out the T-shirt”.

A Bonus for Your Budget – Turkey!
Here is a bonus to the article and you can count it as a bonus for your budget.

As November and December are here we are once again going to see and hear the phrase, “It’s Turkey Time”. Whether you like it or not, commercially turkey has become totally integrated with the promotion of Thanksgiving and the holidays. But if you are a wise consumer, turkey can and should be a boon to the budget. As the seasonal sales progress a few pointers may help you recognize even greater bargains.

The nutrition in a C grade turkey is not much different than the one with extra fancy wrappings and self timer. But it’s almost a sure thing there will be a difference in price. The A grading on poultry simply indicates the bird has all of its parts and there are no observable flaws. Whereas a B grade may be just as delicious, but have a broken wing tip. If you personally prefer the kind with the self timer, it still is usually a bargain when compared with the price of other meats. Turkeys freeze well.

Generally you pay less per pound for larger turkeys; a 20 pound tom being cheaper than a ten pounder. You get more meat per proportion to carcass on the big ones. If a 20 pound turkey would be too large for you, ask someone in the meat department to cut it into halves and/or quarters. Wrap the pieces individually and freeze them. That way you will be able to take advantage of the savings. Keep in mind turkey and turkey sales are available year round now, with the most noticeable promotions at this time of year. Turkey parts are usually economical and create good tasting budget meals. Even the carcass of the turkey is a bargain when used for good old-fashioned turkey and noodle soup.

Have fun watching for the sales and finding the bargains. Remember the motto; the thrill is in the hunt.

Discover Great Grains and the Piggy Bank Too

Have you heard those old rumors about how good wheat is, or that wheat has it all? Wheat can be great, but I just discovered the Chinese Forbidden _________ … Oh, you have to wait a minute, because I have to go and get more paper and ink, the list for this article is so long …