September 1, 2016

Greetings My Friend, I am very glad that my parents took us camping and then later as a young adult I went camping in a very rustic environment. We lived out of a tent we stayed where there was a small lake and there were no other campers around. The very rustic camping taught me about cooking meals over an open fire, bathing in the lake etc. Later I found myself sleeping on floors on mission trips, going to public showers to get clean and cooking for a large group in a small kitchen. These experiences have taught me to be flexible and how to deal with the unknown. In Michigan we experienced the power grid failure that went through the eastern part of the country. When Junior and I moved to Virginia the first winter we were here our power went out during the winter for 11 days. We bought a generator and were able to stay warm that way until the power came on again. Due to both of those power outages Junior and I have started implementing ways to stay warm in the winter and have some other source for electric power. We now have a wood burner stove and propane to heat the house and to cook with. We still have the generator for back up electric needs. Down the road we would like to get an alternative source for electricity but for now we have the generator. We even have a well on our property if our water supply is interrupted. This year I have started dehydrating food and freezing some other types of food like berries and meat. The 2 major power outages have made me want to prepare even for our food supplies as well. The more I learn to rely more on God and His creation for my needs the less I feel anxious about potential problems that arise. I am noticing I am not the only one who seems to have a desire to be prepared. The homesteading lifestyle is one of the topics I see a lot on Pintrest. Many of the friends I have on social media are going back to preserving foods again. I also am seeing a interest in sewing quilts, remaking of clothes into new outfits and even making things like "unpaper towels" where people are sewing some absorbent materials together and using them instead of all the paper towels. This is more for environmental reasons or cost savings measures. I am enjoying learning to cut down our expenditures through all of these "old fashioned" ways. I almost feel like I am living the life I wanted to live when I had a family by cooking more, sewing for some of our needs and preserving foods. To me I am learning to live the simple life which started for me all those years ago when I went camping. Being out in the woods has always brought a peace to me. Junior and I are not the type to desire living on a lake or ocean front. We prefer being in the woods. I would add being in the mountains also has added to our enjoyment as well. God's creation is all around us and learning to live in the awesomeness of His creation tends to make me desire the simple life more so. The more I learn to live this way the more I learn that if I do not have a computer or TV I know I can be content. It is like the Apostle Paul's teaching where he has learned to live in plenty and to be content with less. I am grateful that I am learning this lesson which then finds me grateful for life itself, the simple ways in general. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. love Janet