PREPARE! That is the word on my mind recently.

The state of living prepared is intentionality!  Intentional is doing what is needed to be done in the present to be ready for the future.  The intentional farmer plans and prepares for a harvest long before the harvest season.  He or she, starts months in advance!  They are intentional!  A very wise person once said, "Whoever works his farmland will have abundant food, but whoever chases fantasies will become very poor."  Prov. 28:19

Some ways to be intentional that you may be prepared:

1. Start your seedlings early so they are ready to plant when the soil is ready in the spring.

2. Have some extra fuel stored on the homestead 

3. Split next year's firewood this year or two years in advance

4. Keep some cash on hand

5. Start your chicks early as possible in the late winter/early spring.  Remember it takes 18-20 weeks to have eggs from those mature chicks.

6. Build relationships with your neighbors.  You might need them sometime!

7. Prepare your heart & mind for possible difficult days!  Find Peace with God and learn to trust HIM!

8. Learn a new skill or trade that would have value if you needed to draw from it.

9. Exercise thrift!

10. Minimize dependence on the national infrastructure! 

Ben Franklin once said, "Failing to prepare is preparing to fail"!

Let's not be found without oil in our lamps!