Molly is our 13-year-old black Lab. She’s been sick for quite a while. We’ve been putting off the decision to put her down. She can move only one leg properly, limping along when she has to walk. Some of her medicine no longer works, or we’ve had to stop it because the vet said it’s destroying other vital organs. But her mind is as sharp as ever. We even have to protect her from our new kitten, who likes to play with Molly’s tail and legs and realizes the big dog will do it no harm.

This is the problem with dogs: they wiggle their way into your heart and mind, becoming indispensable to your view of the world, then they die long before you’re ready to give them up. Molly has become part of our family. She is a superb animal — calm with kids but fiercely protective against those who she perceived as outsiders. She’s never bitten anyone, and she’ll take a treat from your hand like you offered it on a silk handkerchief. We’ve all got our stories about her.  How do you put a member of your family down? How do you deal with the memories. It seems barbaric, even after rationalizing in the suffering you’re trying to alleviate.

Lenie and I told our kids we’d consult with them before any decision is made. I’m still searching for a way out of this.

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The TMEN Fair in Puyallup, Washington was terrific. It was better than the old preparedness shows and even better than the MREA fair in Wisconsin, which had been the best fair in the country. It is almost exactly the type of show I have envisioned for many years since the preparedness shows ended, but I didn’t have the deep pockets to take the financial risk of putting on such an event. Every aspect of self-reliance, from sawing big logs into boards to classes in canning food. My hat is off to Bryan Welch, publisher of TMEN, for putting this fair together.

I hadn’t planned on attending TMEN’s next two fairs in San Rafael, California in September and in Seven Springs, Pennsylvania, also in September, but after this experience I’ll probably attend both. Mother Earth News has come a log way back to her roots under Bryan Welch; John Shuttleworth would have been pleased. I’ll help Mother promote their fairs however I can.

By the way, she’s slender and tall, and damn good looking. No photo here though. I didn’t even ask. We had a very enjoyable two-day conversation.

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Want to see a very effective ad against government overspending? Click here. It’s made  by Citizens Against Government Waste.

Here’s another ad, called “The Deficit Trials,” which was rejected by all three TV Networks in 1986. The debt was only about $2 trillion back then; today it is more than $14 trillion.

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One of the obvious lessons we can take from the Japanese earthquake and tsunami is the need to be individually prepared for any catastrophe, no matter what the cause. There have been many news stories coming out of Japan about people having to go for several days without food or water. Fresh drinking water, or the ability to purify contaminated water, is obviously something that needs to be part of your preparations. Many people in Japan probably thought their government would help them in the event of a catastrophe, but it is clear the government is not able to cope with such a large emergency.

A central theme of Backwoods Home Magazine through the years has been the need to take individual responsibility for yourself and your family, and that includes having enough food and water and other supplies on hand in the event of an emergency. If you get forced out of your home, we’ve stressed the need to have a “grab and go” kit. We’ve warned that the stores would quickly run out of food and everything else in an emergency, and that has happened in Japan.

I’ve asked Oliver to create a special section on the BHM home page that links to some of our past preparedness articles. (They’re in the box located just below the photo of the new issue.) Please take the time to read some of them, and take a lesson from the current catastrophe in Japan and reexamine your preparedness. Beef up your pantry and other supplies if need be, and check out the adequacy of your “grab and go kit.” Don’t expect others to help you in an emergency; you must be able to take care of yourself.

You have the luxury of time on your hands now to plan your preparedness. Don’t miss this opportunity.

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The above is from an article by Mike Adams of NaturalNews.com. You may want to read the whole article. It appears Congress has been staying up late this holiday season to sneak through food legislation many of us don’t want. It’s an underhanded effort to expand the power of the FDA and threaten your ability to grow produce in your backyard. The old line Republicans, of course, cooperated with this nefarious effort. Sarah Foster explains in this article.

I’m anxious for the Tea Partiers to take their seats in Congress. Maybe we can stop these never-ending government power grabs.

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Your own chickens lay the most colorful eggs:

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The Chile earthquake tends to wake one up to the idea of preparedness. It’s probably a good time to get out your copy of Backwoods Home Magazine’s Emergency Preparedness and Survival Guide and see if you’re ready for an emergency.

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Our chickens started laying again a few weeks ago, giving us four or five eggs a day. These are mainly older birds with only three new chicks that are laying for the first time. I don’t know which one blew her assigned duties, but Sam found this egg in the chicken house the other day.

It has the texture of a balloon  filled with water.

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Here’s some not very cheery economic news I just read at money.CNN.com:

“. . . More than half of the $9 trillion in debt that Uncle Sam is expected to build up over the next decade will be interest.

More than half. In fact, $4.8 trillion.

If that’s hard to grasp, here’s another way to look at why that’s a problem.

In 2015 alone, the estimated interest due – $533 billion – is equal to a third of the federal income taxes expected to be paid that year . . .”

I wonder if emigration from America to more financially stable countries is going to increase over the next several years? China might be a good place to go. Just kidding! I think Americans will stay put, but we are going to be in for one hell of a financial awakening in a few years.

Stock your pantry and stack your ammo! You’re probably going to need both.

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