In your preps of bullets and beans and such, have you taken care of your women who you will expect to take care of you? Miss Violet has a post up about spinning fiber into yarn. And while that is an important skill to have and to be able to pass down, I hope most of you have invested in preps that will make the lives of your gals easier.
Have you bought bolts of cammie cloth, and other general fabrics? Patterns? A sewing machine and the tools she'll need to keep you menfolk in something other than tattered rags? Have you bought her the kitchen appliances that will make her life easier when making bread or grinding coffee? Have you bought dozens of pairs of garden gloves? Mosquito netting? Deoderant? (Not so much for her to use, but to protect her from your 1-shower-each-week-insurgent-routine).
Have you even asked her to sit down and make a list of the things she will need to fulfill her role as caretaker and nurturer? Have you bought a few rolls of ribbon for the young girls who will need to feel pretty once in a while? Have you a box of teddy bears for the youngsters? Why should your Matriarch have to spin wool, pick cotton and hand sew a teddy bear for a whiney 3 year old, when you can buy them for $4 right now? Do you have a playpen tucked away? Do you have a few pieces of art that she likes? Do you have baby supplies packed for the day they will be needed? Yes, there will be He'in & She'in in your Tribe at some point, with the resulting bundle of feed me, clothe me, burp me, change me.
Remember, girls are different than boys. If you want your women to avoid going hardcore batshit on you, remember that they are hard-wired to seek security and routine, pretty things (not necessarily expensive) that make them feel feminine, and most of all they are programmed to take care of you and the young'ns. She needs to build home & hearth, not simply rough it with no sense of Self for her and her family. She needs to feel some sense of control in her life with a light at the end of the tunnel. Help her do those things and you'll have a partner instead of 110 pounds of HE ready to turn your homestead into a crater.
Think ahead. Think of every person in your Tribe, and every task you will ask them to complete. Then, add to your preps the tools that are available today to make their lives easier.
Here's Miss Violet's piece.
Kerodin
III
Guys, three words: feminine hygiene products. You want a batshit crazy woman? Make her figure out how to create pads or tampons on the go. It's easy to figure out the amount needed for a year, per female, count the females that could hit puberty, and stockpile. They are small, easy to store, and will be the difference between happy and miserable. And if you can find one in good repair, get a treadle sewing machine. Foot power for when the lights go out.
ReplyDeleteThanks K.
ReplyDeletehiswiserangel right about FHP, besides they can be used for wounds too.
Treadle sewing machine, yep, got one. But you better learn to wield a needle gals, because if it's mechanical, it will fail, sooner or later.
I'll be doing some future articles about items to make rough living easier.
Miss Violet
Miss Violet,
DeleteI just love you to pieces. ;-) There are actually a few newly manufactured treadle machines on the market with treadle cabinets. Everyone should learn the basics with needle and thread (also handy for suturing). Been working with the local County Extension office to provide classes to the masses on sewing, knitting, crocheting, canning, etc. What are some other skills that we could cover?
Thanks.
DeleteThere are too many to clog up K's site to state here, lol, but I'm going to start working on presenting other skills we need to work on over at my place.
I would offer this to you though, be wary of your county extension office, go in with your eyes open because they are part of the system that wants to control all of us.
Miss Violet
Pretties for the women make good barter items. Remember silk stocking during WW2? Neither do I, but I read about it.
ReplyDeletePerfume sprays, the higher the alcohol content the better, make good self-defense sprays in a pinch (I know this from a misdirected spray once), and can be used as a fire starter (also an interesting accident).
ReplyDeleteFunny but my grandmother and mother taught me to sew, cook, mend and make do (yes, I'm a male) because they did not think I would ever marry someone who knew how to do these things - sadly, they were right. Now at 65, people look at me like I am a god (that's a small 'g' god) because of the things I know and can do ..........
ReplyDelete