Gut Feeling
January 10th, 2006 by Northern FarmerThe sun has been shining for the last two days and how different it is compared to the gloom we’ve had for over two weeks. It’s nice to see the sky again. Today we brought home our meat saw and meat grinder and I just got done unloading them with the skid steer. They’re some heavy buggers but the payback should come fairly quickly around here. Tomorrow morning the first of three new freezers arrive, all of them thirty cubic foot models. I have a relative that works in a freezer factory and they’re only a hundred dollars apiece with his employee discount, so I can’t pass this up. That gives me an extra ninety cubic feet of freezer capacity. A person can fit a lot of cows in that.
We’re scrambling with so many things here that winter is shooting by fast. They’re not boring like in years past, that’s for sure. So much to do, so much to prepare for. I don’t know if it’s only me, but I’m getting the feeling we have to hurry in preparation around here. If a person watches and listens to what’s going on in this world, we’d better start preparing to take care of ourselves more and more. I’m getting more than a little concerned about everything lately. Now, I know the meat equipment is all run on electricity, I understand that if there would be a big disaster or event that cut out power it’d all be worthless, but until then we have it, and will use it, a lot.
I have to make this kinda quick this evening, busy you know, but I’ll be back in a couple of days. There’s a lot on my mind that I’d like to share, and will share soon. From beef and chickens to gardens and crops, there’s so much we have to do to get prepared. I see that this feeling is not limited to this blog and will do my best to help out in this little group. It’s hard to describe the feeling that I’m getting the last few weeks, it’s nudging at me very hard, and it keeps driving me, daily. Business as usual will be a thing of the past and we have to get ready. It might be years away, or much sooner. The main thing is that we keep preparing ourselves and our families, and trust in the Lord.
January 10th, 2006 at 10:36 pm
I feel the same way and get a little frustrated at friends that laugh at me and remind me of Y2K and nothing happening. But at least my family will have food and supplies for whatever comes our way.
January 10th, 2006 at 11:38 pm
Hi there!
I’ve been a student of “The sky is falling” for over 30 years now and have never in my days seen world events compound one on top of another like a black, boiling thunderstorm on the Dakota prairie as they are this past year.
You don’t even have to search the internet news. If you are in touch with the earth and your own feelings, you can feel the tension in the air even out here on the edge of the wilderness.
If you do pay attention to world events, it’s sooooo much worse. Britain and France called the spring of 1940, the “Phony War” only to feel the force of the Nazi Blitz. “The Lord gave them eyes but they just don’t see”.
By the way, good luck with all your meat processing equipment. My extended family processed their own meat for generations. I apprenticed under my Dad in the skills of knife sharpening and running the bandsaw. Meat cutting was our family reunion. We had family come together from 3 states during the week of meatcutting.
God bless!
January 11th, 2006 at 5:37 am
Well to keep things going in 3’s……..
We’re taking our time to prep, study & learn these days. I’m not so fearful of the events (come what may) as it is whom we fear most (Matt. 10:28) that’s healthy fear for ya’.
I’m one who holds to the old saying that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.â€
One of my side studies has included some work with bio-diesel & straight VO applications for running in conventional fuel systems (auto) and nontraditional heating & power applications. I have an old 1980 Mercedes Diesel Wagon 300TD that I will have “online†and running VO applications by the end of 2006. As well I’ve done some research on the old Lister which (copies of) are still being produced in India. These are slow go & run long engines. Some thing that can run using VO application and power items such as meat saws & grinders when primary source fuels are no longer an option.
Always taken to the ‘extreme’ crop producing oils (vegetable) no longer having a marketable value as a agricultural (food system) commodity could be ‘transformed’ in to a primary fuel source for small farm application raising beef, poultry etc which would in difficult times always have a local direct market demand.
That just crazy talk though, after all most likely never happen, but I’ve learned other words of wisdom in the few years I’ve had at the school of hard knocks…..
1) Never say Never.
Regards.
January 11th, 2006 at 8:38 am
Funny, I run into so many passive people. ” Eh, what’s that you say? Winston, did you here that hillbilly woman with all those kids and cows. She thinks things are growing more evil and we need to be prepared.”
I remain quiet and ponder the scripture about the maidens being unprepared for their bridegroom.
January 11th, 2006 at 4:57 pm
Peggy,
It does feel better to be prepared than to be worrying about it after the fact. Never get fustrated for doing right.
MFK,
I’m with you on that, a person can just sense it coming.
Scott,
I know where your coming from. And if all else fails a person can build an old fashion horse power and have the critters supply a lot of power. It’d be kinda fun watching the animals work for once.
KSMM,
What amazes me is how people accept the growing evil as OK. I just want to scream, but instead will continue to shape things up in our own little world here. If we’re prepared and nothing happens we loose nothing, plus have a darn good time preparing. But if it does hit the fan, ..well, it’s invaluable.
Tom
January 12th, 2006 at 3:03 am
Tom,
As always, I appreciate your comments. I think that Scott and you together really cover the bases on this one. Scott’s verse reminds us that we don’t need to fear the events that are coming, and the pagan’s behind them, as long as we fear God. But, your post reminds us of that verse in Proverbs 22 (NKJV) 3 A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, But the simple pass on and are punished.
I’d agree with everyone else: watching what’s going on all over the place would lead one to believe evil is there, and we need to hide ourselves in our Rock, and in the ways he provides for us. And I would be remiss if I didn’t note that the primary way we hide in our Rock is to repent of our sin (after all, the sin of Christ’s Church is generally the reason he let’s pagans run things to our ruin — Read Deuteronomy 28), and to bind ourselves together with a faithful body of believers … which Tom has also talked about in this post.
January 12th, 2006 at 9:53 am
For those of you who do pay attention to grammar, and spelling, and such, please ignore my extraneous apostrophes (pagan’s and let’s) in my previous post. The only excuse I can think of is: posting at 1:03 AM.
January 12th, 2006 at 11:50 am
Sometimes I get the same feeling, that things are happening fast. Time itself seems to be accelerating… I wonder if it’s only a symptom of age and being “busy” all the time; but I also personally sometimes wonder if the “days have been shortened”.
As for the growing evil - in this case, materialism… I mentioned before that I am in a cubicle all day. That may be about to change. Y’see, this wonderful “American” company that I work for has been spending the past several months hiring people from India and training them to do our jobs for a fraction of the cost. They are sitting all around me right now, and there are many in India working offshore as well. Well, in two weeks they’re laying off a bunch of us - and they’re still hiring Indians as I write.
There aren’t too many happy folk around here right now. ‘Cept me. I don’t know if I’m getting the axe, but if I do, I’ll dance out the door. I’ll get about 6 months severance which would give me a bit of a head start on the growing season. Afterwards I can work locally for much less pay, but also be able to spend alot more time with my family working on our small farm-to-be. I am praying that God’s will be done, but I can’t help but hope to get shown the door. Most of the people in the office act like they’re being fed to the lions, after being sacrificed on the altar of the economy — but I can’t wait! They all think I’m nuts anyway… Reminds me of that song, “It’s the end of the world as we know it. I feel fine…”
It’s all just another symptom of our disease; that we’ve rejected God as a society. We are only beginning to reap the just rewards of our folly.
January 12th, 2006 at 6:06 pm
JFC, Thanks for the input and never worry about grammar on this blog, believe me!
Steve, You got it guy!! That’s exactly how I was when facing the “axe”!! Look forward to it, never look back. And I know what your saying about the other workers, I remember the fear they would have when facing what your facing, I also remember when the companies were having good times these were the same people that complained about their jobs the most. As time goes on please keep us posted!
Tom