A simpler transition during a time of uncertainty

My dryer went up, and the world is in a full-blown pandemic.

So I decided to blog again.

I remember being heavily into blogging in the early to mid 2000’s, and with the advent of Facebook and Social Media, it kinda killed a lot of small scale blogs.

But maybe that’s a benefit of this whole ordeal. Maybe we can start blogging again. It was always very soothing……therapeutic….inspiring? I mean we used to talk in-depth about our thoughts and feelings rather than spit out a few condensed and sometimes nonsensical sentences on twitter. Maybe we can have more meaningful conversations through blogging and really think through what we’re saying rather than posting the passive-aggressive nonsense that just turns social media into a toilet bowl.

For one, I’ve fallen in love with fresh air.

We had a fire last month that burnt up our electrical box. We believe it was caused by the dryer, which was a replacement for our other dryer that had gone up 2 weeks prior. We since have the electrical box fixed, thanks to insurance, but our third dryer replacement went up this week and I AM DONE.

I immediately ordered a clothesline for both indoors and outdoors and some additional cleaning supplies and have now declared that I will work to simplify all the things in my life in one simple swoop.

In the interim, we have been drying clothes out on the deck railing out back, and the moment I brought that first load in and took a deep breath of the freshness of the sun-dried clothes, I was hooked. What have I been missing out on? A lower electrical bill and the scent of what Gain only wishes it could be.

Now my brain wonders what else I can migrate into a more old-timey way of innovation. The washing machine? The electric well pump? Refrigeration? Air conditioning? We already have heat covered with the woodstove.

Not too fast though. Unfortunately, the transition will be expensive.

The World is Forever Changed

This Corona Virus has tipped the world on its head. There panic, uncertainty, death, nonchalant ignorance, stubbornness, and fear.

Donald and I are pretty much middle-ground in that we’re not panicked, but we’re also preparing for possibilities. Before the run on toilet paper, we had already thought ahead to get some supplies for our family, probably a week ahead of the curve. From food supplies to a reasonable supply of toilet paper (simply two packs), to multi-use supplies like salt and baking soda and soap.

The question, however, is how long will this uncertainty last?

Probably awhile. Obviously step #1 is to get this virus out of our system. This may take months. In the meantime, people will continue to panic about food and there may be a certain level of civil unrest.

I will say though, here in Gettysburg people seem to be pulling together well. A strong sense of community is happening and I’m appreciative of all the people who want to do good things in the name of the community.

The Victory Garden Returns as the Patriot Garden

One thing I think will be good to come out of this is people will be more mindful of keeping their families prepared, growing their own food and getting to know their neighbors.

It reminds me of the Victory Gardens of WWI and WWII where Americans were encouraged to grow their own food to cut down on the demand for food so it could instead go to the troops. It was a noble marketing campaign that did really well.

Rather than recreate the Victory Garden due to its ties with war, I’m rebranding it as a “Patriot Garden” for those that want to support the stabilization of the American people and economy by relying less on the Government and becoming more self-aware and self-sustainable.

How amazing would it be if more people were okay during this chaos and panic and communities came together to support one another through barter and creativity.

I’m not naive, however. It took us decades to go from self-sufficiency to industrial agriculture to processed shelf-stable food to chemical-laden and convenience food. It would take us decades (or more pandemonium) to return to more self-sufficiency.

And that’s not to say that everyone even has the capabilities to do this.

Regardless, I think we could certainly do better.