Get outside and enjoy the sunshine!

Hi neighbors. I hope you all had an opportunity to see the full Blood Moon this week! I know here in our part of Missouri, it was not very impressive, however there were lots of photos from NASA posted on the Internet. It seems people in Europe got a better view. That's OK. The Blood Moon doesn't come around often and Missouri offers just as beautiful a lunar sight to see each month.

It certainly feels like fall this week! It won't be long till we should plan a few trips out and around to enjoy the gorgeous leaf colors of the Ozarks.

If you have nut trees, don't forget to gather those black walnuts! Like most nuts, these offer food, dye, fuel and good fun for the whole family. Remember hickory nuts! There are some that get almost as big as walnuts. The husks and hulls can be burned at campfires or barbecues to offer a distinctive hickory smoke flavoring to meat.

There is a certain energy to fall that is different from other seasons. An urgency to harvest and 'stock up' on both food and fuel is felt. Just 100 years ago, people were making sauerkraut from cabbage, canning every vegetable they could and gathering any wild greens still available.

Livestock including chickens, ducks, turkeys, pigs, cows and sheep and even fish are processed and preserved by drying, canning, curing, and freezing in blocks of ice. This provided food for people and lessened the need for food for animals.

Hog processing was a big job back then. Families would help each other preserve every part of the hog. Hog fat was simmered off to use for cooking as lard. Skin, hoofs, bones and marrow were cooked and canned for the winter.

What you collected before the weather changed is what you had to live on all winter. Most farmers hunted in the winter, or ran traps to gather more meat for the table. Children would go fishing to bring that dish to the meals.

Chickens, ducks and turkeys were kept in warm hen houses for eggs as well as for meat if needed. It was a difficult lifestyle requiring everyone in the family to help with survival.

Now we have supermarkets that offer food from around the world for variety. We feel secure in our abilities to acquire food. Ask yourself how long could you survive with no food in the supermarkets?

Remember the 1960s? People would form communes (not the Manson type) to work together to make their own living without dependence on others. These little farming communities are now called 'hobby farms' and usually consist of a large truck garden and a milking cow or goat. It might not hurt to invest some time in learning a little more about independent living.

Even if we never consider country setting independence, we should be thinking about planning ahead. It's always a good idea to keep a few gallons of bottled water in the garage or closet. Check out your pantry. How many meals could you put together from just what's in the cupboards, freezer and refrigerator?

I don't know about you, but I do not like walking on ice, or in snow, or rain or any other type of weather that might make me fall down. I like to have at least seven to 10 days of food on hand in case I get snowed or frozen in my house.

Do you have plans for cleaning off your sidewalks? I don't know why more people with mowers or small tractors don't clean snow off driveways and sidewalks in the winter. I'd certainly pay them to clean off mine.

There is a lot to be done to winterize a home and a vehicle. If you have questions, go to Google and type in what you want to know about. You'll be surprised at the free answers that often have videos to show you step by step how to do it.

But before the snow flies, get out and about as much as possible to see the sun while it's shining its fullest.

Don't forget, Monday is the Creative Writers Group meeting at the Nevada Public Library meeting room at 10:30 a.m. Anyone interested in writing of any genre is invited. It is a very informal and informative meeting. All are encouraged to ask questions, offer their own experiences and remind themselves to keep writing. I hope to see you there.

Until the next time friends, remember, life is good with a full house, a full day's work and a full belly!