Country Living With Emma

The weather forecast for the weekend looks pretty dicey with possible freezing rain. Time to ramp up winter preps.

Water is one of the most important preps, and you can start working on it today. 

Eudora was a teenager during the Civil War, living in Indianola, one of the few towns in Texas that were occupied by Federal troops during the war. 

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

I've never met a vacuum cleaner I like. However, this one does have some benefits, and I'm glad I bought it.  Levoit Cordless Vacuum Reviews:  Spruce.com

The current state of affairs can be overwhelming, especially since we have little to no control over most of it. Hopefully, this is a way to stay sane.

We'll explore the previous 4th turning to see what we can learn about this one. 

More letters from Rebecca to her husband who is away in the army during the Civil War. Prepping topics of interest include food storage, illness, and clothing production. 

The reacher/grabber is a back saver as well as a tool to keep you off a step stool. 

It's my first day back at work. What did I accomplish, and what didn't I accomplish during my break?

This week I'm trying to get stuff done around the property. One of those tasks was to prune the blackberries. Loppers are essential to that task, not to mention upper body strength. 

This is a very versatile tool that has an unlimited number of uses! I keep it in my kitchen. 

I discovered a new YT channel this weekend,  Presenting the Past,  dealing with the events of the Revolutionary War. I had never heard of the Battle of Great Bridge which took place in early December and led to the evacuation of Norfolk, VA. There are many lessons we can learn from this event. 

Physical objects often represent important events in our lives. In hard times we may not be able to keep those objects. Having a "let it go" mindset may be necessary.

We begin another Texas pioneer, Rebecca Adams. She lived around Fairfield, TX during the Civil War and managed the plantation while he husband and oldest son served in the Confederate army. 

This is a great time of year to start thinking about your garden. Here in Texas, it'll be time to start seeds and plant onions in a matter of weeks!

The party went great, even though I didn't get everything on my list done. Everyone had fun, and that was the most important goal. Tool of the Week: Fitness Tracker Last week, our Tool of the Week was you. If we are the most important tool, then it stands to reason that we should take care of ourselves. A fitness tracker is a great way to do that.

This week's episode features Silvia King, who came to Texas as an enslaved person. She was interviewed in 1936 as part of The New Deal WPA Writers Project. 

This episode is more about mindset. How can we prepare ourselves for difficult times when the current generation has only known good times?

This week's tools are various repair kits I used to repair some items that I can't replace at this time. It significantly improved the appearance of those items without the hassle and expense of replacement. Rustoleum Tub & Tile Chip Repair Kit Grout Pen

As our world becomes more unstable, hospitality becomes more important. However, there is a fundamental difference between entertaining and hospitality. 

Balancing work, prepping, AND hospitality. Whew! That's a lot! Can we do it all?

We finish up Mathilda Wagner and see if her life got better in adulthood.

Seed vaults are sometimes included in the lists of things we need to have to be prepared. However, generic seed vaults won't be much help if we really need to live off only what we can grow. 

A Facebook prepper group was asked, 'What is your most important tool?" A significant number answered that THEY were the most important tool. Do you agree?