Goals for 2021

A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over lousy fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average of the world's great civilizations before they decline has been 200 years. These nations have progressed in this sequence:

From bondage to spiritual faith;

from faith to great courage;

from courage to liberty;

from liberty to abundance;

from abundance to selfishness;

from selfishness to complacency;

from complacency to apathy;

from apathy to dependency;

from dependency back again to bondage.

--Alexander Fraser Tyler, Scottish historian, 1770. 

 

Anyone care to guess where we are in this sequence?

As 2021 rolls in, we are rushing, full-steam ahead, into communism.   We can’t dream our way out of it.  And as history demonstrates, we can’t vote our way out of it, either.  We fight or we flee.  Bummer.

So basically, it’s all downhill from here, folks, at least for a while.  As the cycle of democracy put into words 250 years ago by Scottish historian Alexander Tyler shows, we’re not in a good place collectively.  At this point, there’s not a lot we can do about the rest of society.  But we can prepare ourselves. 

Ten years ago I would have said, I did say, there was no way our country would have lasted another ten years, and yet, here we are.  I still say there’s no way we’ll make it ten years, or even five.  But I might be wrong again.  I’m happy for each additional day of indoor plumbing and hot showers and for each additional day to learn and prepare better.  In the interesting times ahead of us, we will need to become jacks of all trades. 

It’s one reason why I write this blog.  I am absolutely floored by the everything I have learned since I began.  I am so grateful for time to learn and experiment and prepare.  I wish I had more hours in a day.  I wish I could write better and more quickly.   I wish little fairies would come in and clean my house.

Because I, and we, don’t have any time to waste.  So as I wonder what I’m doing in this handbasket and where I’m headed, I’ve set some preparedness goals for 2021. 

Goals for 2021

Becoming more flexible/adaptable.  One non-specific goal is to become more flexible and adaptable.  I tend to be a bit rigid and set in the idea that there is only one way to do things.  My husband and children have much more common sense and a greater ability to think outside the box.  If I encounter an obstacle, I tend to freeze more often than immediately think of a way to work around a problem.  Constant practice is one way of becoming more flexible. For example, with breads, which are generally a part of every meal around here, I want to have well-practiced options.

If there is no yeast or no time, can I make quick breads? 

If there is no oven, can I make bread on a griddle? 

If there is no white flour, can I use wheat? 

Do I have multiple means to grind grain? 

If there is no time for making bread, or no mill for grinding, how can I cook wheat to get those essential carbohydrates that meat can never provide? 

I’ve figured out many work-arounds for breads.  Now the challenge is to adapt that thinking to other foods, methods of cooking, gardening, etc. 

Gardening.  The regular vegetable garden this year will be a challenge.  We’re in a new location with really cruddy soil.  Actually, I think it can’t rightfully be called soil.  It’s much closer to decomposed granite.  We’ll need to bring in a lot of compost.  There is a small deer-proof garden area, but it’s not nearly large enough for our needs.  I’ve also got to figure out what crops deer won’t eat and plant those in other areas around the yard. 

This year I will learn how to propagate fruit trees.  My daughter is home for this semester, pursuing her degree in agronomy online while COVID shakes out.  In the new place we have four fruit trees—two apple, one apricot, and one cherry.  The previous owners didn’t prune them, so they need some serious attention.  Some of the branches that she removes will be used to start new fruit trees.  While I will likely let the expert do most of the work, I’ll be following along carefully. 

Alternative cooking. I’ve got a couple of different projects I want to try out for using the sun to cook.  One is making a sun oven out of a 5 gallon bucket.  Another is determining how effective a wonder oven really is and if it is actually worth the effort.

Trying out little things as I come across them.  These are just a couple of things I learned this past year. 

Salt preserves fresh milk a few days longer. 

Media crema and a tablespoon of vinegar make a great sour cream substitute. 

Garbanzo bean juice whips up just like egg whites.

Many dairy products like cottage cheese, whipping cream, and sour cream are good long past the date stamped on the package.  In years past, I simply threw them out without even looking at them, even if they were unopened.  But in the past year or so, I’ve started checking them first, and the vast majority of unopened packages are still fresh. 

What little things will I learn this year?  I have no idea yet.  Two I’ve got to try are making a syrup out of pineapple cores and vinegar out of pineapple peels. 

It’s critical to allot some time each day to learning something new, practicing, and preparing.  Keep in mind, the goal is improvement, not perfection. 

What are your preparedness goals for 2021?

Links to related posts:

Aquafaba (garbanzo bean liquid)

Best-by dates

Shelf Stable Sour Cream Substitute