on staying positive but being prepared~~

It's a pretty scary world out there right now. It doesn't matter to whom I speak, either they themselves or someone they know has lost a job. And no one feels 100 percent secure in their own continued employment. The irony of it is that its a vicious circle.....we're all afraid of possible unemployment so we don't spend any extra money - we're not spending extra money so the companies are laying folks off and downsizing their manufacturing. Kind of makes you understand why Bush told us all to spend our money after 9/11.....when we stop spending, the economy slows.......and so on.

In the past, when hard times loomed, we broke out the tool kit and the pressure washer and placed an ad. But now, for us personally, as a single income family, there is the added fear that we won't be able to place any real hope in starting up the home repair business again since the failing housing market and paid renovation part of the economy is basically at the heart of the issue.

And there's another side to all of this - crime. There's already been an increase in crime locally, and I'm not talking about Jacksonville...the Dollar General in our little town has been robbed, there have been several daytime burglaries on the residential street just across the fields, parking lot "smash and dashes" are up just to put a start to it. When folks get scared, they get desperate.

We're staying positive; we're holding on to our faith that things will slowly begin to turn around but we're also doing what we can to prepare.

Our home restoration budget this year is so far filled with jobs that will lessen our energy bill; what was before done in the hopes of becoming more green is now more about being able to afford the rising cost of heating and cooling our home. We'll be adding more insulation to the attic, placing thermal sheeting under the house, insulating all the closets and stairs and finally getting around to fixing the 3 windows that were put in incorrectly by the previous owner's contractor. Very little work will be done that folks will be able to see when they visit - its 90% behind the walls and the closed doors of this old farmhouse.

We'll be extending the fencing as well; currently only the back portion of the yard is fenced so we'll be enclosing the front as well for added security, not only for the dogs but for ourselves as well. After five years of open doors and windows, I'm only opening the windows and doors of a room I'm actually in and I've got all four dogs with me all the time. When we leave the house, we no longer shut the dogs up in the kitchen...we now shut the bedroom and bathroom doors so that they stay in the downstairs and stay aware of what is happening outside.

I'm taking my hurricane preparedness further than in the past - I'm syphoning off sugar, coffee, tea, flour, beans, rice etc and placing a cup or two in mason jars and storing them. I'm going to start stocking up on water again shortly but this year, I'll make sure that there's a lot more then just enough for one week. And we're getting chickens this spring and expanding our gardening.

I've been getting some ribbing from friends for becoming "Martha" lately, what with my candle making and canning and home made bread baking....but there's a method to my "Martha Madness" - I'm preparing to be more self sufficient; I'm preparing to be less dependant on running to a grocery store where I may not be able to find what I need or afford to buy it when I do find it.

Its a pretty scary world out there right now. But, I'm determined to stay positive, determined to keep moving on in the direction we were already taking, and being mentally and physically prepared for what may come our way.