Change is Here

 Hello Everybody, Frank here.

Fern and I ran across an article by Robert Gore, it involves two parts, ironically, Part 1 and Part 2. Robert included in Part 2 a link to an article from OHMama, I think. The link to this is also included.

Mr. Gore's part 1 & 2 are a little lengthy. He does a very good job of explaining what's going on right now. If you can, please read these. If not, skim both of them.

On a different topic. Congratulations to the folks that got their ham radio licenses last week. Hopefully in the near future, we will talk more radio, but in the meantime, please keep your heads down, pay attention, rely on facts and not hearsay, don't do anything you will regret in the future.

It is Monday, high noon, here in Oklahoma which means we have 47 hours until the possible change with our administrations. Pay attention closely. Things are not always as they seem to be.

Please read the links. Know where everything valuable to you is located.

LINK: The Gray Curtain Descends Part 1 

LINK: The Gray Curtain Descends Part 2

LINK: I AM DONE

Take care all. We'll talk more later,  Frank

You Can't Go Back

Things are changing in the world. Quickly, with a complexity that cannot be fathomed. There are too many variables, too many players, too many possible outcomes to be considered, combined and deciphered. We have many daily conversations about a myriad of topics all of which leave us wondering what in the world will happen next.

Here are some topics we have been thinking about. We would really like to know what you think. There is much afoot in the world and it's difficult to see through the haze, and listen through the cacophony of blaring noise that surrounds the world of information everyday.

The Queen's speech indicates the UK will have Brexit and leave the European Union on October 31st. Now Boris Johnson has made a deal with the EU. It still has to go through a vote of the Parliament. I don't know how the governmental system of the UK works, I have not studied it. But we see similar disagreements and attacks on Boris Johnson that we see here with President Trump. The UK voted years ago to split from the EU and become their own country again. From what I can gather they were tired of unelected bureaucrats in Brussels deciding things for them. They want their country back. There are other countries across the globe that seem to be on the same path.

Turkey, Syria, the Kurds and the USA. Very interesting situation. Almost the entire Congress disagreed with President Trump. What happened? A cease fire. The events of the 120 hours or five day "pause" may usher in a new era of peace in a region that has known war for decades. The resultant relationship between the USA and Russia may be an added benefit from the events taking place in the region. I read recently that President Putin said the relationships between our countries could be much better if it weren't for the political upheaval in our country. He understands why President Trump can't meet and work with him at this time.

Then there is this underlying hum of information from groups across the globe. Groups supporting their own countries instead of globalism. Imagine that. I applaud any country/culture/peoples that have a national, patriotic pride for their own country. We are not all the same. We are not. And we shouldn't be. There is nothing wrong with being different. Unless, of course, you don't like anyone that's not like you. Please read this tweet.

I think President Trump put it quite well. They are coming after us. Just like the EU is going after the UK. I have no problem with a country running their own affairs the way they see fit. I am forever grateful for being born in the United States of America. I don't want to wear a burka or be banned from driving a car. But you know what? If other countries have different laws and customs than we do, that's okay. We don't have any more right to impose our customs and beliefs on another country than they have the right to impose upon ours. We have enough trouble within our own borders, we don't need more coming in to muddy the waters even further. We don't have to abide by Sharia law, we have to abide by US and local laws. If you want to come here, learn to speak English and abide by our laws. Otherwise, go back where you came from.

There are many issues that aren't being addressed here. The border wall. ILLEGAL aliens, they aren't immigrants. The constant attempts to impeach President Trump. Endless wars all over the world. The unbelievable fake news stories coming from the mainstream media. Attacks on religion. Always attacks on the 2nd Amendment. These are just a few.

The header for our last article said, "I miss the America I grew up in." And we do. The civility of yesteryear is not to be seen except in the rearview mirror of time. But you know what? We can't go back. Why would we want to? That would be like the movie Ground Hog Day, reliving these same mistakes over and over and over. Why would we want to return to a system that could lead us right back to the same problems we face today? We may return here even faster the next time since we already know the way. Besides, why would we keep trying the same thing again expecting different results? Some say that is the definition of insanity.

What we need is a new system. There are a number of groups that support a variety of changes to the current system. John Mark and Curt Doolittle support a system they have devised called Propertarianism. There are a number of people that see a financial reset to a sound money system that does away with fiat currency and the debt cycle we have created with the world wide central bank systems. There are others that see no way out of the cycle of hatred and division in our country outside of an all out civil war. Regardless of how this all plays out, it is abundantly clear that things will continue to change. There is no way our country, and therefore the world since we are all so intimately interconnected in this day and time, can continue on the current course without massive, destabilizing change occurring. The question is where do we go from here? What will it look like?

Add one more dimension to the mix. The food supply. The climate of our planet has gone through many changes over many centuries of time. Sometimes warmer, sometimes colder, but always changing. Until the last hundred years or so, there wasn't enough man made activity to impact any of these climactic changes and they happened anyway. The problem is not man, the problem is man's ability and willingness to observe the changes and take steps accordingly. Running around crying the sky is falling, the world will end in 12 years, we have to become cannibals and start eating babies (which was an actress sent to disrupt a presentation), does not address the issue of the food supply.

There are those that insist we have too many people on the planet to feed. There are those that think the growth in population is due to the overproduction, through chemical means, of franken-foods. Either way, the current solar output from the sun is affecting the weather which in turn affects the food supply. Over the last few years, weather has impacted food production across the globe, some areas are flooded, some are too cold, some are too hot and some have droughts. Is this normal? Maybe a little more extreme than at other times? I tend to believe the solar minimum we are experiencing is bringing on one of the times of climactic change that may have a drastic impact upon mankind. Others see it as a challenging time that will pass just like it always has in the past.

When you add these things all together, what do you see? Are countries pulling back, trying to increase their independence from the interconnectedness of the world because the food supply is going to be impacted in such a way that there will be shortages? Will there be starvation? Just from the impact of weather, diseases like the swine fever that is decimating the hog population in China? Crop failures like corn, hay and soybeans in the US this year? How does that impact the meat and milk supply when farmers can't feed their animals? 

Are we going to stop participating in the endless wars as President Trump calls them because we need to draw inward? Bring our troops home to deal with whatever problems are going to arise here from food shortages, to hatred, and division? Peace where there has been war for generations is a good thing. I am all for it. I think there is more going on behind the curtain than the good will of some of the leaders of the nations of the world. If we could really see behind the curtain would it cause panic in the streets all across the globe?

The events unfolding all across the globe will take us to a new point in time. A different way of life. We can't go back, it's impossible. I'm not sure where we are going or how bumpy the ride will be before we arrive at our new 'home'. What I do know is that things are changing. As for Frank and I, we will continue to prepare. Some things can't be fixed. Some cancers can't be cured. Sometimes things die. 

Your thoughts, wishes, desires and insight would be appreciated. If need be, we'll see you on the other side. Until that time, keep your powder dry and watch your back. And never, ever get on the bus.

Until next time - Fern

Government's Uncivil War

What in the world is happening to our government? I don't think anyone can adequately wrap their heads around it and explain. I know I can't. Just to name a few things that come to mind.

Cover ups?

 Coup d' etat?

Treason?

Obstruction?

Espionage?

New Green Deal?

Medicare for all?

Invasion at the border?

The example our government is setting can lead to nothing but chaos. If the populace continues to emulate the behavior of those we have elected to govern us, there will be no peace, there will be no sense of community, of belonging to one of the greatest countries on earth. If every workplace, family, church and organization dealt with their differences the way our government officials do, there would be anarchy in a week.

As educators we had a saying. 'Want to know what the parents are like? Watch their children.' If we want to know how this will all turn out, just watch our country's leaders. 

And then there is the media. It doesn't matter what you watch or read, everyone is biased. Everyone. Wherever you turn there is disagreement, censorship, and bias. What is true? There is literally no way to tell anymore. Truth means nothing in this society. Absolutely nothing.

Folks, I don't see any way for people to come together. They are only going to continue to become more and more polarized, and in the process the division between races, cultures, cities, states, neighborhoods and political ideologies are going to spread farther and farther apart until there is no solution, no common ground, no tolerance, only judgement, condemnation and hatred.

There are a number of sites we read and watch that are warning of a coming 'event'. They base this on the success of President Trump and the never ending attacks by his political opponents. The warning is that the Left, the Deep State, whatever you want to call them, need a serious event, a false flag, a black swan, a major catastrophe to use against the president. Something that may collapse the economy, or somehow present the notion that the President is responsible and thus unfit for office, or give them the support they need to win the 2020 election and take the country back. They need to win to reinstate their agenda.

There is also the issue of the coming reports from the Inspector General, the investigations by the Attorney General's office and others that have been appointed to investigate those government employees that were involved in the investigation into President Trump's activities during the election, while he was President Elect and after he took office. Some suppose that the almost hysterical behavior of the Democrats are in response to the current investigations and fear of what they may expose. 

Regardless of the reasons or actions behind the scenes that we are not privy to, the government, the Washington D.C. apparatus, is at war. Plain and simple. Their behavior, accusations and actions, or inaction from some viewpoints, are escalating to a level of viciousness I never would have imagined possible. Where will this lead? We have yet to see, but it doesn't take much to feel the angst that is building all over the country, from the largest city to the smallest burg.

Add in what's happening in France with the Yellow Vests, the UK with Brexit, the EU, Iran, North Korea, China and the tariffs, Israel and their neighbors, Venezuela, Cuba, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and the list goes on and on. 

Is it just our turn? Is it time for another world wide change? I know some people think it is the end times as predicted in the Bible. But there have been many generations before that thought the events of their time matched up with biblical prophecies. There have been groups of people that went up and sat on a mountain waiting for the rapture because they just knew the time was at hand. I think it is the same now. We just don't know.

What we do know is that history is playing out before our very eyes, every day, on television, on the internet, an in our neighborhoods. Resentment and anger are growing to the point that people who never would have said anything to anybody before are arguing and fighting in public with strangers for the most trivial of matters. And sometimes it's deadly. Has the value for human life and care for our fellow man fallen to such a level that it just doesn't matter anymore? Some would say yes. Look at the new laws that applaud a woman's rights over the life of another, the life of a helpless baby. Look at the backlash of the new anti-abortion law in Alabama and the other states that are following suit.

Our government is leading this uncivil war in our country. The people appear to be following that lead, for we are at war. A war that cannot end with a continuation of life as we currently know it.

Are you ready for TEOTWAWKI? The end of the world as we know it? There is absolutely no way to know what it will look like on the other side of this conflict. Prepare for it as best you can. Ignore it at your own peril.

What do you think? We're all in this together.

Until next time - Fern

Where's the Cheese?

How many of you have read the short, thought provoking book, Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson, M.D.? Some would make fun of reading a book about mice that can no longer find the cheese, but if you really think about the premise of this book and apply it to the implosion of society, the world economy and the coming scarcity of everything that has always been available at our fingertips, it takes on a whole new meaning. I would highly recommend reading it.

This gardening season has been filled with many challenges. In the spring we had record breaking rain. We would get a few things planted, then they would either get washed away or rot in the ground. We replanted and it would happen again. Well after 'normal' gardening season should have began here, many people didn't have a thing in the ground and it was still too muddy to plant. We got some things in the ground, but they didn't grow well because it was so wet and cloudy. 

After it finally dried out and the sun and temperatures became more seasonal, guess who came to dinner? It seems every garden pest known to man arrived and in great numbers. While these bugs happily munched away at our garden, we were in full swing completing some projects that had been on the drawing board for a number of years. Then the 105*+ weather socked in here for about three weeks. We watered and watered and watered, and still the garden burned up. Now that the weather has cooled to more seasonable mid 90* temperatures, the next wave of bugs have arrived. And still we water with no rain in sight. 

Our okra crop, that was planted three times, is very small and basically not producing this year. All of the squash has died and the seeds that I have replanted have either not germinated at all or been quickly devoured as soon as they dare peek their leaves up from the soil. Today I picked the first cucumber of the summer and it was a little tough. The green beans are burnt and bug eaten. They try to bloom and produce, but the bugs are having a hey day. The cowpeas are giving it their best shot, but the aphids have arrived and are enjoying their new home. Even though the tomato plants look very sad indeed, they are still the most productive plants we have. The pepper plants are very small, but are producing a small crop in spite of it all.

Much of the soil washed away from these carrots

In the spring when the rains came pouring down in sheets and ran across our fertile soil, it took the soil away in little streams down the gentle incline of our yard. We could only watch from the window as the healthy, fertile soil we had built up for years was carried away. When it was over, the bare untilled ground, much lighter in color, was exposed to the light of day and to our disappointed eyes. This has greatly reduced the fertility and productivity of our garden this year.

Why am I telling you this story? Because even though this has been a very difficult year for growing vegetables in our garden, we still have the opportunity to go to the store and purchase food. We can fill in the gaps that our gardening challenges have left. We can try again next year. So far this year, it doesn't appear that we will starve without the food that we hoped to harvest over the past two months. So far. 

Many folks around here this year have been having allergy/sinus issues, so I am not alone in that category. In a few weeks we hope to have a solution for this problem, but for now, it is another challenge to planting the fall garden and seeing how much more productivity we can achieve before winter arrives. Another hope on the horizon is the addition of our new greenhouse. I will try to grow many things through the winter this year to see just how many fresh vegetables we are able to produce in the garden and the greenhouse. 

I do contract work online for a local school district and this year we are moving to a brand new program statewide. Many people are griping and complaining and figure they just won't be able to figure it out. They just can't do it. It will be too hard. It won't be like the old program. Why do we have to change? Why? Why? Why? You

know what? Initially, populating all of the data in the new program will take a lot more time than last year. Some of it is still a little confusing at this point and not all of the data I provided was uploaded correctly and completely. This will require more analysis on my part to make sure everything is accurate and up to date as school starts next week. But I have no problem with this change. Why? Because I can easily see that the new program is more efficient and will ease my work load quite a bit. I am more than happy to put in the extra time and effort initially because in the end, I will reap the benefit of less work for the same output I performed a year ago. How can anyone gripe about that? Well, for some folks it appears to be the only way they can cope with change. How unfortunate for them. Change is a part of life, there is no way around that.

The premise of Who Moved My Cheese? deals with the adaptability of people, or in this case mice. Just as in this book, there are those among us that refuse to see the changes that are taking place all around us. They expect their 'cheese' to show up in the same place, the same way, at the same time, day after day. There are those that get angry when the cheese doesn't show up in the same place, the same way, at the same time and have to have some one or some thing to blame for the late or

nonexistent arrival. There are those that will see if their neighbors have any cheese to spare and will beg a few crumbs from their table. There are those that will forcefully take any cheese they can find, because it is their right to have cheese, any cheese they choose, regardless of the rightful owner. There are those that realize that the cheese supply is dwindling down and will soon be gone. They can see the writing on the wall. So before their supply is totally depleted, they go in search of a new supply and greener pastures. If they find an abundance, they go back and tell their neighbors and friends so that they too, will have more cheese and not have to do without. Some will go to the new location and adapt to the changes that are required so that the supply of cheese will be steady. Others will refuse to leave and will sit and wait for the cheese to return. And wait, and wait, and wait, to no avail.

You see we have to be adaptable to manage the circumstances we have been given. Regardless, or sometimes in spite of, the challenges we face in achieving a goal, be it gardening, or weight

loss, or raising pigs, or the collapse of society or the economy, we have to be able to see alternative choices. If we are solely focused on accomplishing a task the same way we have always done it and that is no longer an option, will we accept failure? Will we just give up and say, "Well, I tried, but it just didn't work." A time will soon arrive when failure is not an option. Right now we still have that luxury. More and more I think of failure as a luxury. How many of us would have couched the term failure as a luxury five years ago? Not many I would guess.

Sooner rather than later your cheese is going to be moved so far away from it's normal place that you need the mindset of being determined to find it. Otherwise, what are you going to eat? This short book will provide a mental exercise in preparing your mind for the catastrophic changes that are just around the corner.

Until next time - Fern

Norms Are Changing

Hi Everybody, Frank here.

We live in a society where we can go down to the local supermarket and buy fresh vegetables and fruits of almost any variety, from almost anywhere on the planet, any day of the week. Is this a good thing? Of course it is. Has it always been this way? Absolutely not. I love going to the grocery store and being able to find what used to be considered exotic items, that are now the norm. Here is where the problem lies. The problem lies with the word norm or normal.

You see, norm hasn't always been the same norm. What was my father's normal was a whole lot different than his father's normal. To me, air conditioning is normal. When my father was a young man, most people didn't have air conditioning. When his father was young, that would be my grandfather, air conditioning as I know it, did not exist. My father used to sleep outside in the hot summer. That was the norm for him where he lived. How many people do you know now that sleep outside on hot summer nights? I don't mean kids playing, I mean adults. That would probably be zero, wouldn't it? 

Getting back to the main idea here. What was normal 100 years ago, which would be about the time my grandfather was born, is vastly different than the normal where I live today. We're not just talking about ethics and morals, I'm talking about things we take for granted everyday. Simple things that you and I take for granted that in my grandfather's time, was a chore to produce these simple things, like food.

In my house, I have food from all over the world. In my grandfather's house, they had food from their garden. If they didn't grow it, they didn't eat it. They grew it, picked it, preserved it, and that's what they had to live on until the next harvest came around. I doubt very seriously that my grandfather, until he was probably 40 years old, had ever eaten an Alaskan salmon. Can you remember the stories about people receiving an apple at Christmas? That was a big deal to them. What's an apple now days? I can go down to the local supermarket and have a choice of 10 varieties, 365 days a year. 

Some of us can see what is coming, and we need to think about a different norm.  Most of us have only seen society on an upwardly mobile path. If things were to change, for whatever the reason, we would experience something that few in our current society have ever seen. It won't be a backwards movement, it will still be a forward movement, it will just be in a downward direction instead of upward. Let that soak in for a while. We're are heading into uncharted waters.


This morning I was reading SurvivalBlog, which I do daily, and the main article today set with me and just wouldn't go away. I would ask you to take the time to read this article. There is nothing flashy about it, there aren't any major revelations that will come out of it, it just hit a chord with me. I want to thank Mr. Rawles for his blog site, and I want to thank the author of this story today. I would encourage you to read it. It is an easy read. The direct link is below.

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Prepping Like It’s 1920, by G.S.

 

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We all need to be vigilant, and pay very close attention to our surroundings. Something bad is out there. Things just don't feel right. Please read the article.

We'll talk more later, Frank

Happy Thanksgiving!

We would like to wish you and yours a blessed and Happy Thanksgiving. There is much to be thankful for everyday of our lives, regardless of the circumstances that surround us. May you find moments of peace and contentment in our ever changing world this day, and everyday, and share that peace with others.

Frank & Fern


P.S. Can you believe many of us are eating something this ugly today?  Remember, Humor is the Essence of Survival!

Life As We Know It.......

You are probably all aware of the phrases: Life turns on a dime. Things can change in a heart beat. Life as we know it, ended today, is a line out of a song. Well, on Tuesday life started out pretty normal.

Frank went back to his neurosurgeon for a check up. It's been eight weeks since his back surgery and he got a great report. Everything is healing up as expected and some of the restrictions he had can now be gradually removed. He can even start brush hogging the pastures again in a month. When Frank asked the doctor if he could go on any long trips, the doctor said no, it was too early for that. Just short trips for now. Our doctor's office is 60 miles from where we live, and for now, those trips are plenty long for Frank's comfort. So by the time we headed home, at about 6:00 pm, Frank was ready to be home and lay down to relax his back for a while.

But.......we got a phone call, and life changed quickly. My sister-in-law was calling to tell us that my brother had been in a serious motorcycle accident and was being flown by medivac to Tulsa. Needless to say, that is one of those heart stopping phone calls, none of us ever wants to receive. So, instead of going home to rest, we rushed home and flew through the chores, picked up my mom and headed to Tulsa. At this point we didn't have any idea how my brother was doing. About midway there we received word that he was awake and alert and joking with the hospital staff. This was unbelievably good news.

By the time we arrived at the hospital, at about 11:00 pm, my brother was in surgery and they had amputated his left leg just above the knee. He had lost a lot of blood and they were still working on getting him stable. The loss of the leg was initially a jolt for us, but there were still other concerns about his brain and internal organs. Miraculously, the only other injuries he sustained were some road rash and a pretty big cut on his head. No, he was not wearing a helmet.

After everything there was stable, and another brother arrived, around 3:00 am we decided to head home to care for Frank's back and the animals. Frank was definitely in need of some good rest, and we still had another three hour drive to get back home. When we finally arrived around 6:00 am, I sat down at my computer to try and unwind. I couldn't read or do much since I was so tired, so I thought I would glance down the blogroll and see what was new. It was then when I noticed a post from Patrice Lewis at Rural Revolution. It seems that SciFiChick at Bacon and Eggs, passed away last week. I have enjoyed her humor and determination to grow and preserve food, despite the challenges she and her husband faced. I will miss her. That was enough reading for me. That day ended for us at about 7:00 am Wednesday, when we were finally able to lay down to get some sleep. 

Our rest didn't last long though, because around 10:30 am my mother calls and puts my injured brother on the phone. He sounded totally normal, "Hi, Sis. What are you doing?" I hear, much to my shock. Life as we know it did end on Tuesday and a new one has taken it's place. My brother has now had a second surgery to close up the amputation site, and will begin physical therapy. He hopes to be transferred to a rehab center closer to home next week, and before long, he will be fitted with a prosthesis. Then we will see. 

We have received many phone calls and emails from family and friends expressing love and concern for our family. This is one of those experiences that reminds us how fragile and fleeting life can be. My brother has a long road in front of him, but he is starting out on a good foot, the right one. He has a good attitude about what has happened. He even told the hospital staff upon his arrival that he was allergic to Jeeps. That's what hit him. Your thoughts and prayers on his behalf would be greatly appreciated. Hold your family close. 

May the Lord bless and keep you.

Fern