Hi everyone! Greetings from sunny Michigan! Yes, sunny Michigan! It's amazing, but we are having a really pretty day lining up here. I intend to work in the garden today.
I've been reading and gleaning alot of information from garden books this week. It's been so enjoyable. I learned some things I can do to improve the flowers. May get started on that today, we'll see.
Yesterday I did a little laundry and straightening here. Pretty boring, but has to be done! Decided to "alter" the leftovers for supper. We had had a nice beef roast fixed in the crockpot on Tuesday evening. I warmed the leftover broth and meat to use in beef and noodles. Boiling up some potatoes for mashing provided an added flavorful, vitamin-laden boost to the noodles. Have you ever used potato water for gravy or noodles? If not, try it. It's one of the old-timey ways of re-claiming vitamins and flavor.
You may wonder why I keep referring to money-saving stuff and leftover-using techniques. Well, I have had to scrimp alot over the years as we home-schooled our children and lived on one income. I feel like I've learned alot and have never been able to share it much with others. So, I am sharing the tips now, hoping someone of you who read my blogs will be blessed by the information.
Going along with this, I recently read something by someone who was suggesting we are beginning to experience or soon will experience the wrath of God and we need to keep a 30 day supply of food and toiletries on hand to offset the shortages, lack of cash, etc. that will come. I do not necessarily affirm the teaching that the "wrath of God" will fall on any given generation in the age of grace, so I am not condoning or promoting that teaching. But, I do know that when people or nations live unto themselves, they eventually reap the results of their own sin and decadence and sometimes that reaping comes in this life. Unchecked by salvation, a reaping will definitely come in the afterlife. It's a natural cause and effect, reaping and sowing factor. If we see shortages and economic collapse in our lifetime, it would likely be because we (or someone) was careless, exercising unwise behavior and making unwise policies somewhere along the line.
I guess this got me to thinking alot about preparedness. I remember well the Y2K scare that came to nothing. Most of you probably do as well. Yes, I filled my basement with canned goods and jugs of water back then. But, I did it all knowing that the whole thing could result in nothing, and that I could still use all the products for my family anyway. I even used the water for flowers.
I guess when I hear someone talk about keeping a 30 day food supply on hand, it kind of makes me chuckle. I honestly do not remember a time in my life (unless it was our first few months of marriage) when I didn't have a 30-day supply, maybe more. I remember my parents commenting on the amoung of canned goods that my grandma kept in her basement. There is a vivid picture etched in my mind of her basement lined with all sorts of fruits and vegetables that she had canned. I suppose that shaped my thinking early on. Even my mother had a large canned good cupboard that never seemed to empty. It always stay filled in addition to the shelves of things we canned that sat in the basement and the many items in the large chest freezer on our porch. Those who went through the great depression, my grandparents and parents, knew the value of preparedness. They simply were more comfortable with providing their own security in the form of food than assuming the grocery store would always have stocked shelves. Worse yet, nowadays many people have so lost track of the principle of providing for themselves that they assume it's the government's responsibility to take care of them should a crisis arise.
The best way to be prepared is to stay connected to the Lord. If you have a really strong and vital relationship with Him, He will alert you to any dangers that you need to know. He has the ability to warn you of things to come. As with all of life, living connected to the Vine, is the best policy. Maybe this is even more vital in these days. Read your history and see how careless, decadent living led up to the depression. Am I predicting such a thing again? No, not necessarily. But as Christians, we must be ready in any day to live for the Lord and give a reason for the hope that lies within us. Paul said he had learned to be content in all kinds of circumstances. Be wise. Stay connected to the Lord, the Vine, and He will see you through.
I haven't heard from you about the question I asked a while ago, "what is your favorite flower?" I will give a little clue of mine. It is a very unusual flower to be called a "favorite." More clues tomorrow or the next day....Blessings, LORI
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