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Mormon Edition.You know, I got the best response ever with the Squirrel Fraud edition, maybe because I started out by confessing to a squirrel shortcoming. I don't feel like copping to any more sins today, but here's a guilty pleasure, maybe that'll work:My favorite part of post-apocalyptic fiction is the grocery trip. In stories with a cataclysm, the hero/heroine often has a last chance at the grocery store before everything goes to hell. Susan Beth Pfeffer has a great scene where the electric is out, people are rampaging, and the grocery store says, $100 for a cartful of groceries. Her shopping detail is exquisite. The other day I bought a 25 pound bag of salt for the doom pantry and was reminded of the scene in Alas, Babylon where the lack of salt becomes an issue. There's a grocery shopping scene in that one too. Guess what I am re-reading now.
Every once in a while I like to imagine myself at Winco, shit is hitting the fan, what do I do? If it requires cash, I do nothing, as I never have cash. But, if they're taking checks or cards, I go hog wild. There are further variations on this -- does everybody know this is their last chance, am I the only one, are there a few of us wild squirrels? Will it be canned tuna, chicken orbeef, rice or cornmeal? Fun.Speaking of Mormon Edition, I hit a milestone (millstone) last week, and finally, at last, reached a one year supply on all major food groups. It took almost three years to do, whew! I was close for quite a while, but just could not get enough vegetable servings. My uncooperative family does not eat green vegetables, so the stash is heavy on mashed potatoes and corn and spaghetti sauce. Anyway, it took a lot of potato flakes, but we're there.Which means the squirrel can stop stashing, right?
Oh no, not that easy. I just read "Prophetic Statements On Food Storage for Latter Day Saints". Really interesting to see how their food storage has evolved. It used to be that they were required to have a seven year stash of food, can you imagine, for a large family? Then five, then two, and now one year. And the one year doesn't even have to be stuff that is eaten every day, it can be whatever is life-sustaining. The Mormon Four is a good example -- powdered milk, honey, salt, wheat. Apparently some Mormons are not obedient, and don't have a year's supply. Somehow I thought they were born with a stash of food. Also, I saw mention again of a couple of books that deal with the Siege of Leningrad (900 days of starvation). So I am thinking, why stop with one year?There are plenty of good reasons to stop. I am a lot better at pantry building than I was three years ago when I started. (I won't be really good at it until I've had to use a year's stash, then I'll KNOW.)
For the basic near grim survival stash for us, it'll take 40 pounds of salt, 295 pounds of dried milk, 105 pounds of fat/oil, 315 pounds of sugar, 1825 pounds of grains, 295 pounds of legumes, 1775 vitamins, plus leavenings and spices. This is called the 7-Plus Plan, a variation on the Mormon Four. A set it and forget it, not much rotation required form of food storage. So anyway, it'll take about 100 cubic feet of storage, and cost $2500.And you know what? I am not up for that. $2500 is not do-able. I think unemployment will be visiting our household this year. It is not easy to come by space for 92+ cartons of food, particularly when I can't even find the dining room table. But, a squirrel is not to be denied. I'm going to keep at it, bit by bit.
My new spreadsheet is ready, and I'll pick up a couple cases a month. It'll take forever, and I it will be completed, but I might as well get after it and see how far I can go. A squirrel with a new project, most excellent.Decent sized jars of pepper and cinnamon at Costco are only $3.99 and $2.99. Flour is still cheap, and sugar's not bad. This'd be a good time to become an expert at making no-knead bread for dinner and clone-of-a-cinnabon cinnamon rolls for breakfast. In case unemployment, or just company, comes to visit.