It's kind of funny when 2 of your kids get asked

the same question and they really aren't that much in each other's life and don't have the same friends. 

First question was, if you were out of groceries and stores were closed  like during pandemic ,what would you do..

Both asked (ha ha) do I have gas in the car or gas money. 

One was told yes... the other was told no.

Yes answered, call Mom and Dad and tell them I am coming.

No answered, call Mom and Dad and tell them to bring supplies. 

Both said they were asked if I was stocked up due to war... NO. Due to pandemic... NO... 

Both made the comment that the person asking was not understanding. So finally asked why we would be stocked up.

I WAS RAISED BY PEOPLE THAT WENT THROUGH THE GREAT DEPRESSION.

Mother's grandma canned. Her mom didn't, she worked and gave her mom non food items in exchanged for canned vegetables and fruit.

Mother and Daddy always had tin can goods under the couch, stacked at end of couch and covered with fabric (I think old sheet) to use as a side table, and behind their bedroom door. There was always home canned food in the cellar along with 100 lb. bag of potatoes they bought from Daddy's Dad.  Daddy always insisted Mother have 10 lbs. of dried Navy beans, 25 lbs. of corn meal and 25 lbs. of white flour. Mother always had some medical supplies, toilet paper and lady products as she called them. I actually started growing navy beans because Daddy was struggling to find them. I grew kidney beans for MIL.

Mother said some of their friends made fun of them because of all the tin canned food when they bought the house in the country and was helped moving her and Daddy. They stopped the making fun when two weeks later the WHOLE GROUP lost their jobs when the plant closed down without warning right at Christmas. No unemployment at that time. 

But because my parents stocked food and had the money set back for 3 months, they were okay. Two of their friends lost their homes, one ended okay by moving their parents in with them. 

I asked both of my kids what was the lesson learned.

BOTH said, don't run your life on world events, run it to protect during bad times, no matter what those bad times are. Like having 2 children under the age of 3 in Children's hospital (me and my younger brother) when Mother went into early labor and baby brother died at birth. No health insurance in those days. Or granddaughter who went into labor early and whose baby just got released 60 days from children's hospital. 

 Son2 is one of those kids, he is having serious health problems and ended in ER with heart issues (not attack) the day Hubby came home from have heart surgery. Never married, has no kids, so we are his next of kin. He works for military, can't get his retirement from other military for over 10 yrs. He checked what his disability pay would be, looked at his out flow and told me he might have to move back home. Thankful, his ex girlfriend was being supportive and her with Daughter 2 (both are driving him to appts as we live 2 hrs. away and they live 15 minutes away) not only dealt with him with other testing, but both set down with him and his budget and cut the crap out of it. Both have worked over 15 yrs. as food servers and raised kids without child support being regular or at all for long periods of time. They know how to budget. My thought  BETTER THEM THAN ME. Now he is on THEIR budget, his stress level has dropped and he knows he could stay in his own home while going through all the medical testing. AND I am not worrying about having 2 elderly cats in a house a dog doesn't like cats. 

Then the other child told me that since Hubby farmed and I was raised the way I was that it's automatic. Even when I was a widow with a negative estate , kids at home and no income as I had just left my job as it was costing more for a babysitter (we had 4 kids and late husband's sister in home) than I was earning. There was food and TP stocked (lady products) I paid off the estate of $25,000, kept our home by doing odd jobs, housekeeping, laundry, ironing, delivered phone books (we still get one here in the mail LOL), babysitting, yard sale every other weekend. I took the house we had bought 1 step from being condemned appraised at $30,000 and 4 yrs. later had it appraised at $54,000. I got ALL of what I used to fix the home from yard sales and thrift shops.

I look at things and say this is what I want done, is it a NEED or a WANT. Needs come first. Like brakes for the truck that is going to cost over $2,000. A snow blower for the tractor , Hubby says is a want, I think more NEED as the last thing he needs to do is spend hours with the  walk behind snowblower one we have snow blowing our lane after his heart attack. They already warned him about being out in the cold. E would come plow it for us as he does the two widows lanes.  I look to see if I can do it CHEAPER but not cheaply so it doesn't hold up for long term usage. 

It's cheaper for me to garden (get exercise, purpose and Vit. D) and to can, freeze and dehydrate than spent $$$ at the store, let alone be exposed to what ever crap (RSV, covid, flu, whooping cough as Amish do not vaccinate) going around.

I still take buttons, zippers, and good material from clothing that is worn out. I just patched 2 of Hubby's work shirts. My kids have played checkers with buttons on a checkered table cloth when they were little. 

I still use junk mail that has nothing on the back for scrap paper. Amish will use the back of the envelope. I've gotten a lot of notes from M that way. Then we toss them in the wood stove. 

 Son 2 just told me he has 6 of the large packages of TP in work out room closet besides his 6 pk in the hall closet. I asked why... he noticed in a couple stores it was low on TP supplies. Figured he lived closer to his 3 sisters, niece  (who's baby of 2 months who has been in hospital since birth just went home) and his ex (she let me know they are dating again this morning) so they could come there for TP. He let them know he would even bring it to them if they needed it. I am quite sure there are 2 going to say something about that isn't in his budget. I noticed he is PAYING ATTENTION to the supply chain which he hasn't done before. 

Hubby notices OUR supplies... made the comment that TP was too low, if the kids came up or M needed some we wouldn't have enough to go 2 months (mentioned I went through 18 rolls in 3 weeks with Covid and Crohn's). I told him I ordered bulk and it would be here. I even mentioned that Son 2 had picked up extra for his sisters and niece. Then he noticed I was down to 1 box of Borax and 1 box of washing soda... No worry, M just borrowed a box of each and she will replace it.  That came back last night when they came over to borrow 3 dozen regular canning lids (I buy them in bulk) to can grape juice that was given to them from other family.  

Do you stock anything? 

Prayers for peace

Blessed Be