Good morning!

I hope you're staying cozy during this "arctic blast" or "polar vortex" or whatever the cool kids are calling this wretchedly cold streak of weather we're having! Basically, every place in the nation is having its own version of "it's too cold to do anything outside" weather, though mileage may vary. My North Carolina 22 degrees would be positively balmy compared to other parts of the country, but as for me (and the other locals), it's FREEZING.

I've lived in colder places, of course. I'll never forget the snot-freezing cold in the Algonquin Forest in Ontario, Canada, the day it reached -46. I couldn't even fathom such frigid weather until I experienced it, and we lived in a poorly insulated little cabin with only a wood stove for heat. We survived it, but man, it was not fun.

I like to do cozy activities on cold days. This weekend, I've been going through my closet and packing some things away. After living from a suitcase for a year, I have far more clothing than I need to have hanging up. I've been sipping hot beverages, cooking in the oven, and layering my clothes. I live on the ground level of my building, and I'm glad to have my thick, fuzzy slippers to keep my feet warm. Because of the nature of my rental, I don't have control over the central heating. I do have a tiny little space heater that I use to take the chill off first thing in the morning.

Winter, in my opinion, is the best time to do those organizing and decluttering tasks that most folks save for spring cleaning. When it's spring, I don't want to be cooped up cleaning! I want to be outdoors, enjoying the fresh air and beautiful weather. So, I've made myself a list, and I'm going through each area of my apartment, one by one, to pare down what I don't need and organize what I do need. Accompanied by a good audiobook (I'm currently listening to The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holliday), time flies, and it's so nice to see the results.

I've also learned to accommodate this ankle, which is not responding well to treatment. I never expected to have issues with mobility at this stage in life. I have thrown myself a bit of a pity party, I must admit, but now it's time to just get on with it and learn to live regardless of limitations. So, I use my rolling office chair when organizing my bookcases or the lower shelves in the kitchen. I sit on my bed to go through the items from my closet. I wear my large CAM boot to clomp around if I have to carry things around the house. Life goes on, no matter what's happening to us personally. We just have to go with it.

Who says preppers are all gloom and doom? I am absolutely delighted to see how much people are enjoying the Saturday entertainment feature articles we've added. Life is too short to be constantly stressed out. I hope that you also do some things that are pleasant and enjoyable as you stay warm this weekend.

Having something to eat isn't guaranteed.

We're facing threats to our food supply from many different angles: supply chain breakdowns, drought, food facilities being ravaged by fires, skyrocketing inflation, and outright shortages. No longer can we live in the comfort of unthreatened abundance. We're learning exactly how delicate the system really is.

Prepping and putting back supplies is incredibly important but what we're seeing now goes beyond that. You have to be able to produce and acquire more food. You have to be able to put back your harvests to eat during the winter. You have to be able to prepare items that once were as convenient as popping open a can or little plastic container.

You need a paperback copy of How to Feed Your Family No Matter What, our Organic Prepper anthology with ALL of our content about food. You'll get more than 500 pages of content that are all about food when you can't just go to the store and buy whatever you want.