Honestly, I had seen the Liebster Blog on a few of the blogs I read, but speaking English, French and some Russian, I don't speak German. I did not know that Liebster means favorite in German. First, I would like to thank Mamma Bear at Challenged Survival for nominating me. This particular blog award is limited to those with members of less than 300 followers.
Now I will do my best to answer those questions !
My own nominations for Liebster Bloggers with fewer than 300 members are:
1. http://framboisemanor.blogspot.com
(Kymber and Jambaloney)
2. http://thelastrobin.blogspot.com
(Gerald)
3. http://ecofootprintsa.blogspot.com
(Dani)
4. http://practical-parsimony.blogspot.com
(Linda)
5. http://mohaveratstwocentsworth.blogspot.com
(Mr. Rat)
I find something inspiring in the work of all of you. There is truth and courage in all of your blogs.
Your own five new questions:
1. What motivated you to have an interest in preparedness ?
2. Are you a cat or dog person ?
3. What do you wish I would ask you ?
4. If you were to write a book spurred on by your blog, what might it be called ?
5. Would you say that blogging really helps to extend and to hone writing skill ?
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I had others that I would also have nominated, but Mamma Bear nominating them already, along with myself..
Now for my own answers to the questions I was asked:
My Five Random Facts:
1. My kids, husband, and family are more important than any job I have ever held anywhere.
2. In college, in my late teens, I worked in New York City as a recording artist. In the late seventies, I did not like the prevalence of drugs in the music business. Although I was doing well, I disliked the business end of the business and I chose a couple of other paths in college. This was easy to do because I was interested in many different things.
3. I am an abysmal cook. Fortunately, everyone else in my family isn't.
4. Other than my family, animals, particularly my dogs, alpacas, and some selected others (cats, horses etc.) from different species, are my favorite "people".
5. I have fantasies of time travel where I hope to go back and save my youngest son who died in 2008.
My Answers to Five Questions:
1. Favorite Color? Was different when I was younger, now it's blue, the color of the skies and the oceans.
2. What Started You Into Blogging ? My youngest son died suddenly in 2008. He loved the computer, and was often on it. I had so much to tell him after he passed and about his friends and the funeral, that I honestly believed he could see my blog. I started What I Learned from Daniel, just weeks after his passing, and it continues to this day. Later, I started two other blogs, Rational Preparedness, and Jane Becomes an Author.
3. What is the velocity of an unladen swallow ? Decided faster than a fully laden swallow.
4. What is your favorite disaster movie ? I don't actually have a favorite. Living here at what I have come to regard as Calamity Farm doesn't leave me much time to watch them. If I were being held for ransom until I gave you one, then The Day After Tomorrow comes to mind, even though the science in it is weak.
.5. If you had only three plugs for electricity (no powerstrips) what would you have plugged in ?
In truth, I would plug in a large inverter which has several other plugs, but since you stipulated that I could not add more, I would plug in a charger for small appliances, like cell phones, etc., a computer, and leave one remaining to alternate for microwave, electric kettle, nebulizer, television and radio. I did this for a week, about two weeks ago when there was a protracted storm outage.
My Answers to Five New Questions: (The questions provided to me)
1. If you could invent a vaccine that would not hurt anyone, what would it be ? I am tempted to say a vaccine for all cancers, which btw is being worked on, as we speak, at the Massey Cancer Center at Virginia Commonwealth University, in Richmond, VA. I will leave the immunization against cancer to the professionals, and I will work on a vaccine against wanton low information liberalism
2. What is the most favorite object inside your home ? The people and pets are most important here. Although I am a great lover of beautiful things, for the sake of beauty, I am not materialistic in that I might love something which is ostensibly worthless, while being comfortable selling something quite valuable.
3. What is your favorite food ? Caesar chicken salad . My favorite dessert is Cadbury's chocolate.
My favorite drink is cool fresh deep well water.
4. Will we be able to grow all our own food if we cannot go shopping ? Yes, and no.
Although we would be able to provide our own food here, it would not be in the style to which we are accustomed. I have rice, cornmeal, sugar, flour, and cooking supplies in freeze dried containers which may last 25-30 years. We can provide a certain amount of fruit and vegetables here in summer. We have chickens, ducks and eggs. We can raise cattle. However, the variety of fruits like bananas, coconuts, lettuces, would not be available to us. Also, if we had to provide all our own food, there would be time for little else.
5. What is your best talent ? I have come to believe that very best talent is recognizing the talents and potentials of others, and then helping them to get where they should go.
When I finished all of this, I learned that Kristin, at Hammock Haven Farm (http://hammockhavenfarm.blogspot.com/ ) also nominated me for Liebster Blog and that I have some questions from her to answer as well.
Thank you, Kristin !
1. What are your passions in life ? My passions in life are my children, my animals, writing music, and honestly, carving out some solitude. The best thing is watching my children write and create music.
2. What experiences helped shape you into who you are ? I don't enjoy saying this, but the good things in my life have not made me grow or made me particularly appreciative. I have grown the most from the terrible things which have happened in my life, the loss of my youngest son, at 12 1/2, the passings of my in-laws and my parents. Through all of that I have an appreciation for how short the journey, and how important, gentleness, understanding, mercy, and consideration is while we are still here, in body. I try not to waste daylight.
3. What got you into farming or homesteading ? I have lived in the country from the time I was about four. I always wanted lots of animals, and I always knew that my idea of Heaven on Earth was a home with children, and animals. We didn't get a farm until I was in my thirties, and then, I realized it had to be run in a manner which helped it pay for itself, not as a petting zoo. You can imagine my shock ! This farm operates by periodically selling five acre increments of its woods, which in this climate, are ready for harvest again within fifteen years. We sell alpaca fiber, though we do not sell alpacas any longer. We also raise and rescue dogs, We also raise chicken and ducks and eggs. We also used to have classes for homeschoolers with regard to principles of ornithology and birdwatching. Inadvertently, we raise black bears, who live out near an old collapsed cabin quite a distance from the main house.
4. If you could live anywhere and do anything, what would it be ? I have done a fair measure of most of the things I have wanted to do in this life. The two remaining things might be to go to medical school, get an MD. Take the residency I am offered, which I hope would be internal medicine, and then afterward apply for a fellowship in endocrinology. I have always been interested in internal medicine and endocrinology. Then, I would like to treat people with various endocrine issues at close to no charge. Since I am fifty, and this is unlikely at this juncture, then my second dream is to retire in the coast of Nova Scotia. This is only possible six months a year, because I am American, and emigrating to Canada is nearly impossible. I know, because I spend all the time I can there now. LOL.
5. What do you find stressful and how do you manage it ? I find the illnesses of my children very difficult. I do what I must, but it takes a great deal of psychological energy from me. In general, I find it hard to be a witness to human suffering of any kind. I know that seems counter-intuitive for a registered nurse, but I think nurses and physicians should be mindful of, and concerned about the level of suffering their patients endure. I think that without that level of empathy, that it's hard to make the best decisions for them. We need to treat the people, not simply the disorders. I manage stress by doing what I must, and by having as much down time for reading, peace, animals, and nature as possible. I suppose I work hard and then play hard. I play a lot of music which also helps set my mood, and sometimes, facilitate my tears.
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