Through Thick and Thin

There is an underground rumor that the economy isn’t the best that it has been in recent years. I have a mini heart attack each time I have to go to fill up my truck, and when I pick up things at the store, I come out bug eyed at the prices. But I know for sure that I am not the only one who is affected by the prices of things lately or the only one shocked for that matter. Everyone seems to be doing little things to save money, whether that means packing your own lunch or actually doing the same things that your great grandma did during the depression.

In some ways ranchers do have an advantage in that they can grow their own food more easily, and if it comes down to it, they have livestock to eat. Some ranching families have a garden and eat their own beef, some ranching families shop at grocery store just like you, and some do a mix. But to have to slaughter an animal that you were not planning on eating means things are pretty bad. (Whether that be the economy or the animal has injured itself beyond recovery.) There is an advantage that city dwellers have over ranching people though, fuel. Yes, we are all paying the same prices at the pump, but when you live in the same city that your job is, and your grocery store, and church, and school, and civilization in general, you are going to drive less. Big trucks and tractors do not get as much milage per gallon as little cars do and they cost more to fill. That is what scares ranchers the most, if the fuel stops, the food stops.

People like to make jokes at how if the apocalypse happened the country people would survive better, and for city dwellers to make sure that they have a country friend. And while this is true to a point, I also would like to say that there are lots of people who survived the depression in large cities. In some ways it takes a little more wit to survive in a city, where in the country it takes more patience. I think that if you live in the city and want to start a garden, reach out to a country friend, check out YouTube, and contact your local extension office. And you aren’t limited to gardening in the city. Small animals like chickens and rabbits can be raised right in your back yard.

Now all of this advice is coming from someone who doesn’t garden, raise rabbits, hates chickens, and finds homesteading videos on YouTube incredibly boring. But I am just blessed to live with people who do. I like the idea of having a garden and walking through my rows of bounty with no shoes on, but I as I am writing this, my desk plant is pathetically staring at me. I am actually very proud that I have kept it alive since this Valentine’s Day (five months for those of you who are counting). I also am not a big fan of chickens; they all have it out for me. If something is going to wrong with the chickens, it is going to be on the odd day that I have to feed them. Luckily my sisters are not only good at these things, they actually enjoy all of this. So, I am happy to feed the steers and clean the house while they do this. The steers though… they are actually low maintenance provided they do not get out, then there is no telling what will happen.

One of the benefits of living in a big family is that you don’t really have to know how to do everything because the chances are that one of your siblings know how to do it. Not sure if the chicken is done cooking? There is a sister who knows how to do that. Not sure how to edit a pic, there is a sister for that. Need someone to back the trailer up, there’s a sister for that. Can’t catch the shy horse, there’s a brother for that. One of the pitfalls of this, if you are not careful, is that you learn to lean on your siblings and don’t bother to learn or get better at things for yourself… and then one day your find yourself in a situation without a sibling.