It's Nov 15 and we have gotten our first real snow fall. There is about 4 inches of snow on the ground. We had gotten a few flurries before today but this morning we actually woke up to a beautiful blanket of white on the ground. It looks so pristine since there are no tire tracks in it. Most people don't drive cars any more because they no longer have gas. It's rare to see a car go past or to even hear one. We still have quite a bit of gas because of the limited use of the generator and the limited use of the truck. Mike and JR had syphoned the gas out of all the cars and the van, only leaving enough to start them once a week and let them run a bit. The truck is kept near empty most of the time with only enough gas put in it to go where some one needs to go and to get back.
After I had gathered up what was needed for breakfast and a few of us headed out to the garage to fix it we saw footprints at the side door of the garage. Some one had tried to get in but apparently they either didn't have time or didn't have anything to help them break in. The door has a good heavy duty padlock on it and it was held in place with long bolts and nuts. After we got breakfast going Mike, Steve and JR moved some of the cars, van and Jimmy around. They had opened the double gate to the back yard and pulled the Jimmy in there. They plan on backing it up right next to the garage door at night. Then they pulled the van in to where the Jimmy had been setting then placed my sil's car behind the van. Enough gas was put into my daughters car to pull in up next to the double gate so no one could pull in there. When I saw that I had them move her car. I could tell it would be a good place for some one to hide behind and get the drop on anyone coming out the back door. Being parked by the double gate made it just to close to the backdoor for me to feel comfortable.
We have been lucky so far because we had no major problems but I knew our luck would not hold out much longer. Even though we live in a small town gangs are starting to form and home are getting broken into now. The two churches in town that had run food pantries for the poor have already been broken into and all the food was taken. People are getting desparate because most of them have run out of food. We still have enough to last at least another 8-10 months but that is because the guys have been hunting to supplement our meat. They have gotten rabbits, another deer and even a small pig that they had found running loose in the woods. Mike had set up the smoker he made out a junk refrigerator and filled it with the pig and is smoking the meat. He is good at scavenging for things that he can use to make something we can use, like the smoker.
He has kept a heavy duty log chain around the refrigerator with a big padlock on it to keep any one from getting the meat. His plan is that if he can not bag a turkey for Thanksgiving we can have the smoked pig meat at least as a treat. I have everything I need to make a couple of pumpkin pies, a pecan pie, stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, mashed potatoes and of course my dd beloved green bean casserole. This Thankgiving we have a lot to be thankful for so I plan on doing it up right.
My brother had come by a couple of days ago. I had been waiting for it to happen. I just knew sooner or later he would show up. The only thing that surprised me was that he hadn't done it sooner, a lot sooner. He wanted to bring his family and stay with us. I will admit there is no love loss between the two of us but that is not the reason I said no. The plain simple truth was that he wanted to bring his girlfriend who is afraid getting her hands dirty, his daughter and her 5 kids (two of which are nothing but drug addicts) and two grandkids. That would have been 9 more people and I didn't have the room or resources for all of them plus the ones all ready living here. He had seen Dave and his family here so he made a comment that if I could take them in why not his family. I told him simply because Dave earned a place for his family. Which was not a lie. When I first got back into gardening after not doing it for four years he had let us have his lawn tractor that he was trying to sell and told us to pay him when we got the money which I did 6 months later. He had helped John find a disc to till up the yard and attach it to the lawn tractor. He had been the one to help up put up a fence to keep the dogs out of the garden and he was the one that hauled all the straw in his truck when I needed it. His wife had always watched for canning equipment at yard sales and when ever she found something she thought I could use she would pick it up for me. Neither of them would let us pay them back for what they did for us. They would not even take money for gas. So as far as I was concerned even though they had thought I was silly for prepping they cared enough to support me in my attempts so they earned their place.
I asked my brother what had he done for me. Not one thing. He lived just over a mile from me for the last 5 years and he never even stopped by to see if we were alive. If he had not let his girlfriend have $50 nail jobs every week and if he had not bought such a fancy car they could have prepped just like I did but they were selfish and spent their money on good times while I sat home and prepped so they made their bed now it was time to lay in it.
I know when my time comes and I stand before God on judgement day he may not forgive me for turning away my brother and his family but my kids and grandkids come first and then the ones that supported me in my efforts are second. After all they did earn their place.
After I had gathered up what was needed for breakfast and a few of us headed out to the garage to fix it we saw footprints at the side door of the garage. Some one had tried to get in but apparently they either didn't have time or didn't have anything to help them break in. The door has a good heavy duty padlock on it and it was held in place with long bolts and nuts. After we got breakfast going Mike, Steve and JR moved some of the cars, van and Jimmy around. They had opened the double gate to the back yard and pulled the Jimmy in there. They plan on backing it up right next to the garage door at night. Then they pulled the van in to where the Jimmy had been setting then placed my sil's car behind the van. Enough gas was put into my daughters car to pull in up next to the double gate so no one could pull in there. When I saw that I had them move her car. I could tell it would be a good place for some one to hide behind and get the drop on anyone coming out the back door. Being parked by the double gate made it just to close to the backdoor for me to feel comfortable.
We have been lucky so far because we had no major problems but I knew our luck would not hold out much longer. Even though we live in a small town gangs are starting to form and home are getting broken into now. The two churches in town that had run food pantries for the poor have already been broken into and all the food was taken. People are getting desparate because most of them have run out of food. We still have enough to last at least another 8-10 months but that is because the guys have been hunting to supplement our meat. They have gotten rabbits, another deer and even a small pig that they had found running loose in the woods. Mike had set up the smoker he made out a junk refrigerator and filled it with the pig and is smoking the meat. He is good at scavenging for things that he can use to make something we can use, like the smoker.
He has kept a heavy duty log chain around the refrigerator with a big padlock on it to keep any one from getting the meat. His plan is that if he can not bag a turkey for Thanksgiving we can have the smoked pig meat at least as a treat. I have everything I need to make a couple of pumpkin pies, a pecan pie, stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, mashed potatoes and of course my dd beloved green bean casserole. This Thankgiving we have a lot to be thankful for so I plan on doing it up right.
My brother had come by a couple of days ago. I had been waiting for it to happen. I just knew sooner or later he would show up. The only thing that surprised me was that he hadn't done it sooner, a lot sooner. He wanted to bring his family and stay with us. I will admit there is no love loss between the two of us but that is not the reason I said no. The plain simple truth was that he wanted to bring his girlfriend who is afraid getting her hands dirty, his daughter and her 5 kids (two of which are nothing but drug addicts) and two grandkids. That would have been 9 more people and I didn't have the room or resources for all of them plus the ones all ready living here. He had seen Dave and his family here so he made a comment that if I could take them in why not his family. I told him simply because Dave earned a place for his family. Which was not a lie. When I first got back into gardening after not doing it for four years he had let us have his lawn tractor that he was trying to sell and told us to pay him when we got the money which I did 6 months later. He had helped John find a disc to till up the yard and attach it to the lawn tractor. He had been the one to help up put up a fence to keep the dogs out of the garden and he was the one that hauled all the straw in his truck when I needed it. His wife had always watched for canning equipment at yard sales and when ever she found something she thought I could use she would pick it up for me. Neither of them would let us pay them back for what they did for us. They would not even take money for gas. So as far as I was concerned even though they had thought I was silly for prepping they cared enough to support me in my attempts so they earned their place.
I asked my brother what had he done for me. Not one thing. He lived just over a mile from me for the last 5 years and he never even stopped by to see if we were alive. If he had not let his girlfriend have $50 nail jobs every week and if he had not bought such a fancy car they could have prepped just like I did but they were selfish and spent their money on good times while I sat home and prepped so they made their bed now it was time to lay in it.
I know when my time comes and I stand before God on judgement day he may not forgive me for turning away my brother and his family but my kids and grandkids come first and then the ones that supported me in my efforts are second. After all they did earn their place.