BACK IN THE GROOVE - Garden

After several weeks of nursing tendonitis in my right elbow, I'm finally able to spend more time on the computer past buzzing email. I'm ready to get back to work.

While I've been off, I've been watching lots of YouTube, researching various stock up/ prepping methods. Again, not the SHTF kind of thing, but just being prepared for anything that comes down the road. I'll be introducing you to some of those folks in the coming weeks.

While the temps rise to the upper 90s here in the Ozarks, I'm already looking forward to fall. Not so much wanting to escape the heat but planning for winter. The FoodSaver is getting a workout and the pantry is getting an overhaul.

For now, life is about the garden. Everything got a late start because I had problems finding straw bales. I finally had to settle for some hay bales and I have to say, I am not as happy with the hay. They seem to break down faster and do not drain like the straw bales do, which creates a root rot problem.

This is a shot of my horseshoe bale garden. There are 13 bales here with five separate double-stacked tires down the center. Closer inspection of the individual components:

Brandywine tomatoes. I have each plant staked. We'll see how they do. Normally, I would have put them on the cattle panel like last year but I had a good paste tomato there and wasn't planning on doing slicing maters at all. But those bales were hay and I lost every single paste plant. I've since planted those bales with a Solar Fire... heat/ drought resistant plant that turned out to be a bush plant. I'll show those next week.

Here's a close up of one of the Brandywine loaded with blooms. I think I'm going to pluck one bloom from each cluster so the energy will produce better quality. 

I finally got to plant some herbs this year. This pot is about 95% Basil. LOL I'll be creating basil/ oil cubes, pesto cubes (both frozen) and drying basil in the dehydrator over the next few weeks. 

I'm still in the process of revamping some of the blogs but I' hope you'll hang with me as I get back on the road with this one. Lots of things to share! 

ON HIATUS

Hi everyone.

After serious contemplation and soul searching, I have come to the decision to put all of my blogs and social media attentioins on temporary hiatus. JUST for the month of MAY. I have some health issues I need to contend with as well as household/ family things. So I'm going off the grid for a few weeks.

I am hoping, with rest, the health issue will improve and I can come back in June stronger than ever.

By then, I should have some of the notes in place (that I've taken here and there about post ideas but have 'here and there' LOL) so that I can bring you quality information and share what's going on in my little part of the world.

Stay safe!

Kelly

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS WEEK CONTINUES - Flooded Roads

Before I go any further, I'm going to warn you.. this is going to sound like a sermon. And if you will listen to my words, maybe I will save your life. I can only hope.

I want to talk about HIGH WATER. We have a saying:

TURN AROUND - DON'T DROWN

People around here seem to ignore the saying. Their claim is that they've lived here all their lives, they know the roads, they know how deep the water is.. yadda yadda yadda

What they do not take into account what can be under that water... or what might NOT be there - like the road itself.

Anytime you come across water over a road, TURN AROUND! Last year one guy found out the hard way, he couldn't see the road for the water... because the road had fallen in, leaving a cavernous drop, which his little truck took a nose-dive into. Thankfully, he was not hurt. You Just Do Not Know!

If you do choose to drive through water that appears to just be a few inches, drive slow. Do not spray water up into your intake. That will flood out your engine and leave you at the mercy of any current you did not realize was there. Not to mention the towing cost and the the mechanic cost for drying out your engine. Do you REALLY have to be out and about in a storm that bad? Seriously?

Sadly, some people have chosen to attempt flooded roads and have never lived to see the other side. At least not of this world. Is getting somewhere more important than having more time with your family? Or risking your family?

Be Safe!

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS WEEK - Missouri

While I am doing Prepper posts on Friday, I wanted to do this one today. Today begins Missouri Emergency Preparedness Week.

Living on the edge of Tornado Alley, ear marks us for a bit of earlier preparation than most other states. The National Emergency Preparedness Week comes up in May and we'll be talking about this again then in some other capacities.

If you, someone you know, or you've seen the devastation a tornado can leave in its path on TV, then you know how important being prepared is. Spring brings unsettling weather patterns. Like our systems battle the seasonal change, so do the elements. We just can't give the elements Nyquil and tuck them in to bed (where I spent a good portion of last week).

Instead, there are definitive things we can do to at the very least, come out on top.
National Weather Service  has a great breakdown of what you need to look for ahead of time, how to prepare for a storm and what to do following a storm.

Here are the basics:

Knowing your risk, taking action and being an example by sharing your knowledge and actions with your social network are just a few steps you can take to be better prepared and save your life and others.

Know Your Risk: Hurricanes, tornadoes, storms - every state in the United States experiences severe weather. Visit weather.gov to get the latest on weather threats. THIS LINK will take you to great information about the difference between a WATCH and a WARNING as well as other key information. THIS LINK from Missouri.gov is another great source.

Take Action: Take the next step in severe weather preparedness by creating a family communications plan, putting an emergency kit together, keeping important papers and valuables in a safe place, and learning about Wireless Emergency Alerts. 

A 72 Hour Emergency Kit should contain: (but not limited to the following items)

Information from Ready.gov

   WATER - one gallon per person per day

    FOOD - a 3-day supply of non- perishable food per person. 

   BATTERY -POWERED (or crank) radio

   FLASHLIGHT & extra batteries

   FIRST AID KIT

   WHISTLE - to signal for help

   DUST MASK

   BABY WIPES

   MANUAL CAN OPENER

   CELL PHONE w/ charger/ inverter/ solar charger

A Complete list can be found HERE as well as links to separate items, such as the First Aid Kit

Be an Example: Once you have taken action to prepare for severe weather, share your story with family and friends on Facebook or Twitter. Your preparedness story will inspire others to do the same.

Don't be caught un-prepared. A few minutes now will save you pain and suffering later.

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS - Finances - The Change Jar

DISCLAIMER: None of the information provided is law. I share what works for me. Only you can determine what works in your life.

One of the things I try to do every year is make a trip to Texas. I love to travel and the heart and soul of my music writing is there. I have made wonderful friends over the years and I love the whole vibe.

While I do not make a lot of money on my freelance, thanks to my husband I am not a 'starving artist'. I do strive to pay for the majority of my trip on my own. Last year, I paid for a 21-day trip through Texas, including hotel stays the entire time from money I had stashed away all year. The gas and most dinners (I paid cash for breakfasts and lunches) went on the credit card. But even with that, how could I acquire enough cash to pay for even a week from Missouri to Texas, let alone two?

The change jar is my salvation.

Remember when I talked about how I saved our butt when Bob over drew our bank account using the debit card?

Bob used to tease me all the time about having money squirreled away all over the house. I would get $10 in quarters, roll it and stash it in a box in the basement.. you know the lowest NE interior of your house where you need to go in case of a tornado. I did the same with nickels and dimes. Pennies, I do not spend at all.

The other thing Bob used to tease me about is NEVER having ANY change in my purse when we would go out somewhere. I always paid with dollar bills and brought home the change. Even if I was only needing a few pennies, I still broke the $1 bill.

At first when I started doing this, I was saving money from October to October to pay for my annual pilgrimage to the Ozark Creative Writers conference in Eureka Springs AR. The conference ran about $100 (which included the opportunity to enter several writing contest categories for the chance to win Prize $$$), hotel night for three nights (and usually split between at least 3 - 5 people), plus the 2 banquet meals with the conference and about $70 for breakfast/ lunches for the 3 days.

Thankfully, I do not have to do that anymore. That is Bob's contribution to my writing (one of many but he says this is 'my' weekend - yep, I'm keeping him)

So my money gets put back for Texas. With his job this year, I'm not sure I'll spare money for travel. We shall see in the coming weeks. But over the course of the past ten months, I have managed to piggy bank two Miracle whip jars of quarters plus a larger jar of just nickels and dimes. I also strive to win our weight loss challenge every 3 weeks so I can bank that $100 towards my trip.

We are also lucky enough to get taxes back most years. We apply the Federal tax towards something that needs done to the house, new tires for a vehicle if they are due or put it back for emergencies. We split the State return as our year-end bonus. We do not just blow the money because it's there. Everything has a purpose. In able to reach the Out of sight Out of mind = Security status, you have to do assign a purpose. Living willy-nilly, as Grammy used to say, is NOT going to give you that security when you need it. You have to be PREPARED.

The point is.. coins add up and quickly become the
Out of sight Out of mind = Security

Yes, you know it's there but if you earmark that money for a special occasion  - and remember that each time you think you are tempted to dip into the jar to pay for something else - then you will have earned the right to truly enjoy your special occasion.

ASSIGNMENT:
Start a coin jar. Does not have to be anything fancy. Just put it somewhere so that when you come home at the end of the day, you will empty your pocket or purse of all the change into that container. When the container is full, stash the jar away and start a new one, transfer that money either into your checking account as a HIDDEN DEPOSIT in your Secret Vault (we talked about that last week), turn it into cash and stash it in the lowest NE corner of your house in a fireproof box, whatever. Just DO NOT SPEND IT until you are ready for that Special Occasion you've been saving for ... and start all over.

Be Empowered!

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS - Finances - Debit Cards

DISCLAIMER: None of the information provided is law. I share what works for me. Only you can determine what works in your life.

I am here to tell you now... Debit Cards are EVIL.  That said, I own one. But the only place I EVER use it is at my bank drive-through IF I need cash after hours. But most of the time, I just go into the teller window and withdraw what I need ahead of time. I PLAN my spending.

Here is a fact. You are more subject to identity theft when you use your Debit card than at any other time. Credit cards rank #2. Why put yourself  at risk just for convenience. We all need to learn to slow down. I figure if it worked for my parents... and generations before them, then it works for me. Granted, some things have to moved along with the times, but if you have safer options, why not use them?

The other thing I still use is a checkbook and check register. Yes, I'm sure that makes me a dinosaur.. but I am a PREPARED dinosaur.

If you do your banking on-line and use your debit card regularly, you are missing out on an amazing way to secretly stash money away... and why I have enough saved back to sustain us for the next six months worry-free.

If you bank on-line and use your debit card, the exact amount is subtracted from your account. While this does make balancing your checkbook much easier, you do not have the opportunity to create an imaginary vault in which to stash money away.

I use checks and a check register... the old fashioned way. And I do not balance my checkbook. (I will get to that final point in a moment)

This week I am going to share with you THREE ways to stash money back. If you do even ONE of them, you will be ahead of the game... and better prepared than you probably were before we began this journey.

Here is #1:
Let's start with my husband's check deposit. His company uses auto-deposit. They put the money in our account and we get a hard copy of the check stub. I'm not going to tell you what my husband gets paid. So I'm going to use an example amount.

Amount deposited by his Company - $1574.23
However, that is NOT what I write in my check register. I will write $1500.
That $74.23 gets squirreled away in my vault. I never see that amount again.
Out of sight Out of mind = Security

Think for a minute. If I do that every month for a year, by the end of twelve months I have saved:
$890.40

I have done this every month for the past 4 years... ever since Bob used the debit card multiple times and failed to tell me so I could deduct it from our account! I found out when an entire months worth of checks began bouncing... during the Christmas holidays.  THAT was Stressful for me. I will tell you next week how I saved our butts on that one.

Here is #2:
If I write a check for $32.87 I DO NOT subtract that amount from my register.
I subtract $35.00

In reality, I am not going to miss that $2.13. It's in my vault, and I know it's there.. but if I do not SEE IT, then I do not spend it!

I do this with every check I write. By the end of the month I probably have acquired as little as $20 that I do not see. It's there but..
Out of sight Out of mind = Security

What about Auto-withdraws?
I apply the same principle. For example, my Hughes Net internet is an auto withdraw. Each month, they deduct $118 and change from my account. Every month for the past four years I have been subtracting $125. That is almost a $7 difference per month/ $84 a year/ $336 over four years!
I know it's there but...
Out of sight Out of mind = Security

I apply this same principle to all of our auto-withdraws.

So why not just sock money back into a savings account from each check?
#1 - Would you honestly do that EVERY MONTH
#2 - If you can see it, you are more apt to touch it.
Out of sight Out of mind = Security

At the end of the pay period.. just before his next check is to hit the deposit, I put a circle around whatever amount is left. Mentally, I tell  myself there has to be at least $25 left. When I get near that amount, I just do NOT spend any more. I WANT that added security. I also strive not to write any more checks for the last 5 or 6 days prior. Then I go into the bank and request my current balance. By this time, everything I've written has probably cleared to this point and their balance is right on target.

Before writing in the new 'adjusted' deposit, I circle whatever is left and add it to a 'savings' ledger. The money is still in my account but it becomes that
Out of sight Out of mind = Security 
How is it out of sight? Because I am only subtracting from the CURRENT deposit. Whatever was left no longer exists to me.

By doing this ONE small thing at the end of each pay period I usually have around $1300 at the end of the year. Some months have had more than others. There have been a month or two where there was literally PENNIES to circle. But even those pennies add up!

One other thing I do...
We pay our personal/ property taxes in December. I know roughly what they are going to be. I divide that amount by 22 (because he gets paid every 2 weeks and they are due in December) and I subtract that amount from each check. it is subtracted .. it's 'spent'.
In the register:
where a check # would go, I write SLUSH
Descritpion : RE Taxes
Amount: XXX

Then I have a page in the ledger where I track how much I've subtracted. By December when the taxes come due, I know the money is there.
Out of sight Out of mind = Security

Remember when I said earlier I do not balance my checkbook?
I once told my husband if I had to balance a checkbook, I'd never use one. I'd be strictly cash and the checkbook would be all on him. However, with him gone so much, there are times when I've needed to use the checkbook. But, I had to find a way NOT to balance the checkbook. I DO NOT need the stress.

I KNOW my bank balance is not going to jive with what the bank says because I have that Secret Vault. I have no clue how much is in there. I do not care. I only go by what I track, which is 3 things:

1 - The slush at the end of the pay period
2 - the RE Tax slush
3 - Income Taxes

As long as you keep on top of what YOU KNOW is in your account.. and that there is a SECRET VAULT amount that says you have more than you physically see, you are going to be fine.

For us right this moment, the pay period slush for the past three years is enough to make the immediate payments.

ASSIGNMENT:
Reassess how you pay your bills. Is what you are doing RIGHT NOW working for you AND allowing you to build a cushion?

If you so choose, begin incorporating ONE of my methods into your tracking habits this week. A year from you now, if nothing else, you'll have Christmas money.

Be Empowered!

REVIEW WEDNESDAY - STARS of the ROCK 'N' ROLL HIGHWAY - Victoria Micklish Pasmore

Take a trip back in time when music really got a party going with STARS of the ROCK ‘N’ ROLL HIGHWAY by Victoria Micklish Pasmore. Passmore’s research led her along U.S. Highway 67, officially designated Rock ‘n’ Roll Highway 67 by the Arkansas General Assembly in 2009. Stretching from Newport AR north to the Missouri border, the 111- mile route was once dotted with nightclubs, honky-tonks as well as school gyms and cafeterias where the first rock ‘n’ rollers staged their early performances and honed their skills in the 1950s and early ‘60s… the cusp of the Rockabilly era.

The publisher, Plum Street Publishers,  took the direct approach, putting a name most young people will recognize as the lead story – Elvis Presley. Geared towards readers in grades 5-8, STARS of the ROCK ‘N’ ROLL HIGHWAY is a great read for those of us who remember names like Elvis Presley, Conway Twitty and Wanda Jackson. While there were a lot more people Ms Pasmore could have included in her book, she focused on twenty, bringing the book to a quick read for any attention span. As I read the book, several thoughts went through my mind. First and foremost was how much musical history is right out my back door and I was not even aware. The other became a running list of names of people I knew who would enjoy this book as much as I was.

One thing I felt really set this book apart from others were the 'Did You Know' facts - five factoids - given at the end of each chapter. 

STARS of the ROCK ‘N’ ROLL HIGHWAY is the perfect read for anyone. Whether you like music in general, grew up listening to Jerry LeeLewis, Carl Perkins or Charlie Rich, or enjoy history in any form. And if as an adult you want your children to learn about when you were their age, this is the perfect door to opening dialogue. Don’t wait until your gone for them to begin asking questions and receiving no answers. Introduce them to the magic now that was the ‘rock n roll highway’.

I’m giving this book:

About the Author:

Victoria Micklish Pasmore holds undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Art and master's degrees in Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling. She has taught math, art, and special education to K-12 students for thirty years. A native Arkansan living in Mississippi and Wales, she is a world traveler and an enthusiastic fan of rockabilly and early rock 'n' roll music.