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1. I have been increasing my winter wood supplies and have found a local post and pole business sells their scrap pieces at $0.03/ lb. The scrap are mostly already in the 12-18 inch long range and 2-14″ in diameter. While it costs more then cutting wood on friends property, i can will my truck in under with ~1500 lbs of fire wood that is already aged and dry. I spend another 1 hour or so splitting larger rounds and stack at hoem. This has allowed me to stock up wood during the week after work and saves my weekends for elk hunt. The same post and pole producer sells wood chips and wood fines for aninal bedding at $5 per pickup load which is a lot cheaper thab using staw bales for the goats, pigs, and chickens bedding over winter.

2. I recently finished a book titled The Winter Harvest Handbook, by Eliot Coleman. You might find it interesting. It is about expanding the growing season year round by growing cold weather crops in a green house, unheated. You may be at a northerly latitude than the author’s farm, but he is in Maine, and deals with significant snow.

3. I’ve taken this concept and started applying it to my “team” members where we check in each Sunday evening with what we’ve accomplished prepping wise for the week. Helps keep each other honest and motivated, like a gym partner. I encourage you all to do the same with your prepping friends / family.

   Got back into running this week, 3 times 1.5 miles each. Built out my first AR-15 from a parts kit to give me yet another backup. Doing a tactical carbine / pistol training course this weekend. Ordered more AAA and CR123 batteries.

4. This week our local grocery store which is a small regional family owned chain had a great deal on russet potatoes. 50 lbs for $5.55. I am busy slicing them on my mandolin, blanching and dehydrating with my Excalibur. Some I pulverize in my blender to make “instant potatoes”, other I keep as slices for hash browns or soup.

5. The weather here in the UP of Michigan has been remarkably nice for this time of year, I finished up the garden and canned a large amount of apple sauce and slices. About a hundred jars worth. My insurance company has insisted that I remove the wood burner in the garage or they would not cover the garage. So out it went. I am thinking I will build a 55 gallon drum system and keep it un connected in my shed. If the Schumer hits the fan I could assemble it. the insurance company probably wont be available to check on me..Just thinkin… One of my friends has been collecting some derelict RV campers for spare parts for his. I have acquired a stove/oven that doesn’t need power, only LP as a backup for the house if need be. I am going to see if I can get a LP refrigerator from him. Seems like a good idea. Of course that means more LP in reserve will be needed.

6. As I was getting ready to prepare my beehive for winter, it was robbed out, and I wasn’t able to save it. A total loss. Gives me lots of inspiration for learning more over the winter and trying again in the spring.

   1. Hi K,

      I’m sorry about your hive loss and I understand and completely agree with your sentiments. I love having bees. We had two hives two years ago, which was my first time raising bees. I really enjoyed working with them. We lost the first hive the first winter to cold, dampness and mold. We lost the second hive the next fall/early winter to cold dampness, mold, MITES and HORNETS!!!! There is nothing like experience to learn what works and what doesn’t. We planned on buying four more hives this past spring. And this time, the plan was/is to put them in our fenced-in orchard, high up on a platform under a roofed, open shelter that should keep the hives drier and could be loosely enclosed for winter, to protect them from wind, cold and rain. Also we’ll be deploying hornet traps nearby to decimate that carnivorous population. We ordered our bees and prepared for them. When they finally notified us of the day we could pick them up in April, we had a big scheduling conflict. And we had no-one else available for us who might do the pick-upon our behalf. The bee company said they wouldn’t hold the bees overnight for us that we had to collect them that particular day. Obviously, we couldn’t do it. Thus we had to cancel our order. We were very sad about it. So the plan is that this coming spring, we’ll be ordering four packages of bees, again, and this year we don’t anticipate any scheduling conflicts. We also will be doing more studying of their care, too, this winter. May your home overflow with milk and honey in the coming years. – Lily

7. Coming back to Life. 2015 was last 8 months quadriplegic and on a ventilator. Strange neuro immune illness nearly killed me. Rehabbing at home my disaster preps and storage largely fed me for a year. Canned tomato juice had burst as had tomato soup. All in basement on shelves. Canned beans lasted as did most canned veggies and SPAM. Tuna cans served well. Sardine tins held up. Walking half a mile daily and lifting weights now. My food storage pantry served well and for good purpose during my rehab. Praise the Lord for my Deliverance from a weird ailment of strange anti bodies never seen in USA before. Maybe it was the three overseas deployments with the US Army 9th Infantry Division or all the shots vaccinations and inoculations. VA with Congressman Tom MacArthur R NJ insistence did not cease treatment. Praise God I Love the small things in daily life now.

8. After four years, things are looking better on our property after being ravaged by wildfire. My heart breaks for those who have lost all in recent disasters. My husband cut the last burnt tree last month and is working on chipping and stump grinding. Needless to say, there is plenty of firewood – split,stacked and covered! All the warm weather crops are harvested and put up or stored. Some nights are freezing now and the covering, uncovering and hand watering gets a little old but I do love fresh food from the garden. Still have lots of cold hardy greens and root vegetables in the ground. Planning to try storing carrots and beets in damp sawdust in coolers in the garage. Got caught up on some inside projects too and just cleaning the house after the craziness of harvest. We have a deep well and installed a Simple Pump last year to deal with occasional power outages. It has been very good. The fall colors have been beautiful and we’re enjoying the last of the warm days as we get them. Blessings to all.

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