Spoiled

It has been said about the Great Depression of the 1930's that country people who lived on farms were not as impacted as those who were living and working in the cities.  The reason for this is simple.  Country people of the 1930's were self sufficient.  They grew most of what they ate.  They did not have luxury items like toilet paper.  They had fresh milk from a cow and fresh butter.  They made their own bread and canned vegetables.  They hunted and fished and killed hogs in the winter for their meat.  They had chickens for eggs and for meat.  In other words they were not spoiled.  They had no luxuries and worked hard for what they did have.  

This current pandemic of Covid-19 has been a real eye opener.  We could see a world wide depression again.  There are very few people in our country who will not suffer from this depression. Most people have indoor plumbing which costs money.  Most people keep only enough supplies on hand to make it a week or two. When shortages come and money is tight people suffer because they are spoiled.

To shield yourself from the pandemics, famines, and natural disasters which will increase in both intensity and in frequency you might consider adopting a more primitive way of life.  Those who live like they did back in the 1930's already know hardship and living with it every day they are use to it. A large percentage of the world's population do not use toilet paper.  A large percentage of the world's population rarely if ever eat at a fast food restaurant.  Get use to keeping chickens.  If you want fried chicken for supper go out to the yard and catch, kill, and butcher a chicken.  It's not an easy life compared to what you have now but once you get use to it you'll be just fine.

My youngest daughter has six children. She does not use disposable diapers and disposable wipes.  She is as of the time of this writing getting 20 eggs a day from her chickens. She bakes her own bread.  She loves a simple life.  Her husband plants a large garden every year and she preserves the surplus vegetables for use when growing season is over.  She home schools her children and has begun to teach the older ones how to cook and garden.  She and her family have handled this pandemic very well.

My suggestion then is this.  Recognize luxury for what it is and what it is not.  Know how to live without luxuries. Practice your skills of doing without luxuries.  Be content with what ever state you are in.  Thank God for what you have and count it all joy. 

Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 12 -- I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

It seems like it has been a year since the last time I blogged. I suppose that is because in a week it will be one year ago.  It has been good to have Jason and his family living with us.  We missed 9 years of their company because they were in France.  Recently Jason and his boys had to dig a tunnel under the house to replace the sewer line.  We kept having to have the plumber out every week to unstop the line.  It was a big job and I am so thankful they were here to get it done.  We have replace the problem section but the next length of pipe also needs to be replace so that means the tunnel needs to be 8 more feet long.  That will put them half way under the house.  I should show them to movie "The Great Escape" maybe they could get some pointers on digging tunnels.

Janie and I took a course in gun safety.  To pass the course you had to score 175 or higher.  This is a picture of her target. She had fired a total of 5 shots with her hand gun before taking the course. She really did not want to take the course but after it was over she was very glad she did.  As you can see she scored a 229 and a perfect score is 250.  I on the other hand scored a 226.  I was very proud of her and I would not have it any other way than for her to beat me at shooting.  We received our carry permits in the mail today.  We don't plan to carry a gun in public but if the need should arise we can.