You feel so empowered when you know this

As of today we have confirmed cases of Coronavirus in our county (Skagit) and we are encouraged to stay home and avoid the public.  In the face of what's happening right now worldwide and in our state, I'm reflecting deeply, taking stock, and noticing things that I might have taken for granted.

I'm not writing this to show off, but to make a point, so read on.

Yesterday Steve and I sat on the porch, drinking some of our homemade hard apple cider while we shaved Devil's Club inner bark to dry into potent anti-viral medicine.

Afterwards, we washed our hands with goat milk soap that I had made months before.

I cooked dinner with onions and garlic that we had grown in our garden, which is fertilized with compost I make myself.  We have food that we grew, canned, froze, dried or fermented, and medicine that we gathered and made into remedies and preventatives like elderberry syrup, devil's club tea, and dried sage for sore throats.

It's gonna be a while til we run out of the gallons of hard cider, Blackberry wine, Oregon Grape wine and Elderberry wine we made in the last couple of years.

Our crawl space is stocked with home made goat cheddar, gouda and manchego.

Our freezers are filled with chicken we raised and butchered ourselves. 

Currently we are drowning in eggs from egg birds.

Steve makes bows for hunting, and he can harvest meat if need be. My sons know how to hunt with guns. They have fished and provided our family with protein since they were little. We know how to identify and gather super nutritious wild foods.

I can just about knit everything you would want to clothe yourself, and I can spin wool into yarn to knit or felt with. Although woollen underpants don't sound too appealing, if you ask me.

If we ever ran out of toilet paper, we would know which plants make the softest substitute (moss and mullein leaves, y'all!).

What is my point?

My point is that I think it's important to know how to do some of this stuff.  You don't have to be hard-core homesteaders like we are, but you can learn to do one small thing. And then another one. It's so very, very empowering, and lots of it is very, very fun.

Wouldn't it be nice to whip up your own medicine/meals/soap if you run to the store and there is nothing left?

It's not too late. There are so many wonderful people teaching skills.

I have several friends who teach herbal medicine courses, both locally and online.

Many homesteaders and teachers have youtube channels and lots of free content to offer.  

I teach many things, and you don't have to pay for them >> HERE - my tutorials on the blog << or >> HERE - my How-To playlist on youtube <<.

My heart goes out to everyone who is severely affected by the spreading of this virus, either health-wise, economic, mentally, or whatever else is coming up for us.  

Boost your immune system, wash your hands, stay away from crowds, be mindful of not touching your face, and stay positive and away from fear!

Sending much love to everyone!

Let us know how you are coping in the comments below.