Adapting...psychologically

I read an essay not too long ago (thank GOD for my
fellow doomers who post links from time to time) about
adapting pyschologically to all the changes coming.
And before I knew it, I was putting some new strategies
in place to deal with the stress in my life.

My favorite coping mechanism is disengaging. When
facing avalanches or irrational beings, or freight train
personalities, removing the emotional component is
soooooo freeing. It frees me to not be the victim or the
recipient of stress/crap/drama etc. The twit took the
kids, I'll love them when they're here, not worry when
they're not. Husband sometimes works too much,
I give him vitamins and aspirin, tell him how I
feel, and then just NOT worry.

I don't bring work stress home, and I pace myself
and limit further exposure to dying and illness.

I've cut back on drinking, I tend to be confrontational.
I'm trying to get regular exercise and vitamins and
adaptogens. I nourish friendships and I've been working
on my health and appearance.

And I'm trying to get rest and prep.

~MH

Where to next?

Here's a pic of my men learning to cast on Christmas Day, one poor
lad fell in. I think my current frustration is lack of time to do things like I'd like them
to be done. We go and go and go. We work, and work, and work. Laundry, dishes,
cleaning, dehydrating, I hardly cook anymore. Date night, tonight was spent with
the older kids, then eating a grilled cheese sandwich, and falling into bed, exhausted
by 9pm.

Unfortunately a barking dawg, and insomnia had me back up in 30 minutes, so I did
more laundry. I've never worked so hard in my life....

Today, I had a melt down, sparked by a six year old and husband talked me through
my stress without escalating my vent. He's quite clever.

I had a brilliant rambling put down in virtual space and lost it as the net crumbled under the weight
of everyone facebooking about their holidays.Clearly, this was an ominous sign. And it was a sign
that matched my mood. I want to prep. I have a garden to plant, chickens to buy, more veggies to
dehydrate. The list is endless. The addition of a new canine has slightly altered my plans for the
back yard, but spring is just around the corner and the world is fraying at the seams, time to get
busy.

~MH

pics

The kids posing with my zombie apocolypse tree.

I know, right?

~MH

What's next?

Isn't that the BIG question. I've been chatting up a fellow
doomer at work, sharing some ideas about weaponry, timelines,
dehydrators, alternate currenices. What? ya'll don't have a
fellow doomer at work?

We have a few examples to see how collapse has happened elsewhere.
Germany, Africa, and more recently Argentina. And even more recently,
the Middle East. Social media helped spark movements and bring down
dictators, and cause more wars and more bloodshed. Argentina is
probably the best example:

http://ferfal.blogspot.com/2011/12/what-ammunition-to-choose.html


I pointed my coworker torwards ferfal's blog. In a nutshell, life
is harder, inflation and crime rampant, utilities spotty, and
food and medicine scare. I suggested to my coworker that he buy
enough ammo for his and his children's lifetimes.

Back to the timeline, I don't think we have ten years, probably
not even 5... we can expect the unexpected. We can assume that
change is around every corner. And if we get tired of being
flexible and having good attitudes, there is always someone
younger and hungrier and willing to do more for less. We can
all be replaced. I walk into work with a smile on my face almost
every day. I insure us, you won't hear any grumbling from me..

On to prepping. I took a week off from dehydrating and I felt so
darned guilty. I was ill, working, working, working and I finally
ran out of stuff to do dehydrate. I hate doom-guilt. So yesterday
after washing up my recent finds from my fav charity shhop, I went
to Aldi's, determined to feed my dehydrator. I bought massive
amounts of produce. I pickd up the kids and we chatted. I told
them I had bought oranges, apples and pears. "PEARS? We want pears!"
One of the lads even asked for a pear in his lunchbox. Now, how
cute is that?

Gotta go feed the dehydrator.
MH

Ahh family . . .

There are now 7 of us, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
There is almost always someone to talk to, share the load with,
butt heads against, drink a beer with, and share a meal.

Thanksgiving was great this year, no stress, no worries.

I put a dent in the Christmas shopping that night, I figured
what the hell, I have insomnia anyways. I bought heaps of warm
pajamas, and a few toys. The lads are starting basketball next
week, so I got 2 of them as well.

I did a big grocery shop Friday,I'm not having much success
dehydrating cranberries. I got a second part time, low stress
gig to help add funds to the family coffers.

Our housemate picked up a second gig, Husband dropped one job.
The oldest daughter brought home a fabulous dog, they are quite
smitten with one another.

I have been maing trips to a local thrift shop, they have clothes
on one side of the store 2/$1. So I've managed to stock up on
playclothes and get a bit ahead on bigger sizes.

Much to do, M

Prepping my a$$ off . . .

Thanks to Wendy, I was able to take my mind of personal doom
and focus on the Zombie Apocolypse.

1. We scored a ton of used clothes for the kids at a local
consignment sale.

2. We bought the kids each their very own shovel 2/$1.

3. My food dehydrator has been going nonstop for nearly a month.
I actually have at least 8 more loads to go in (each load takes
about a day), before I even have to think "what next?"

4. I have run out of room in the pantries for canned goods.

5. Everyone in this household of 7 is comfortable with prepping.

6. I have been working my ass off since husband lost his job.

7. Husband now has 5, count 'em 5, jobs. I helped him this some
this weekend (it's hard to spend quality time riggt now, lol)
Sunday morning we were up at 2:45 am to start his paper route.
Sunday afternoon, we went to the airport for his 5th job (delivering
lost luggage). It's actually a pretty good gig. We drove up to
Dunlap,TN. It was absolutely gorgeous. The fall colors were so
nice, the mountains and valleys so scenic. I made husband promise
to buy me a farm if we ever struck it rich. We got the luggage
delivered and on the way home, I scored 40 pounds of locally
grown sweet potatoes.

Happy Hectic Days,
M