Keeping an Attitude of Gratitude

Thanksgiving has past and Black Friday is over. By now most of the left overs are either finished, preserved or are composting. All this month you have no doubt seen lots of people sharing things that they are thankful for. That is great. People should voice the blessings in their life. I just don't like the fact that a lot of people ignore all of the good things in their life till November and Thanksgiving rolls around. Today I want to discuss keeping an attitude of gratitude all year long and why it is important.

Negativity Rules

Bad stuff gets more press. That is just the truth. If you were in a great mood and wanted to kill it, all you would have to do is watch your local news or listen to NPR. Anyone who listens for too long should almost be placed on suicide watch.

There is very little good news shared on these outlets. I don't believe it is because they want everyone to be depressed (I do question some sources). Bad news sells better, we find those stories more interesting. For a good story to get a lot of press, the story has to really be over the top or unusual.

For an example, if you live in or near a large city, it is normal for the news everyday to report a killing or theft. How often do you hear a story about someone saving a person's life? Or returning something that was lost. They are the corresponding opposite of the events we see as news worthy, but these are not.

Why is this the case? A lot of it has to do with the way we are wired as a people.

What Do You See?

Why Attitude Matters

I think everyone has heard your attitude determines you altitude. Sounds great doesn't it? Makes for a great mantra or chant, but we all know some, how shall I put it, less than honorable people have achieved some really important positions. But attitude does help us with our interactions at work and at home. 

Who You are Around

Everyone knows someone, that I and a few of my coworkers would call a "happiness black hole", or a "spiritual vampire". You can be in a great mood and just a couple of minutes around them you almost hate the world. That is really sad, but I bet you know at least one. We tend to avoid these people as much as possible, unless we are already in a bad mood. If we are already toxic, we will search these people out, we want to infect everyone else we can. That is not good.

Just as you can change the atmosphere, others can as well. I try to avoid anyone and everyone with a toxic attitude. It's not easy and a lot of times it is not even possible. People's attitudes affect each other whether we realize it or not.

Why It Is So Easy to Be Negative

Remember above when I asked you about the picture? What did you see? Most people will say a spot. Is that the most correct answer that can be given? The most correct answer that could be given is a gray spot on a white field. Our eyes go to what stands out. Even though the entire picture is different than the surroundings, our eyes still drift to the one point that stands out. We notice the negative.

For us to notice something positive, that doesn't directly affect us, the positive event must be overwhelmingly good. It takes effort to notice normal good things.

Benefits of Staying Positive

If you maintain an attitude of gratitude you will naturally have a more positive outlook on life. A positive attitude has many benefits. When you show a positive attitude, it is easier to deal with people. We never know what another person may be going through and sometimes a kind word and a smile will lift someone's spirits. Just as a bad attitude is contagious so can be a good attitude. Share your joy.

According to the Mayo Clinic there are lots of health benefits of maintaining a positive outlook on life. In a post entitled Positive Thinking: Reducing Negative Self-Talk to Reduce Stress, the staff of the Mayo Clinic state that a positive outlook on life can have the following positive health benefits:

The health benefits of positive thinking

Researchers continue to explore the effects of positive thinking and optimism on health. Health benefits that positive thinking may provide include:

• Increased life span
• Lower rates of depression
• Lower levels of distress
• Greater resistance to the common cold
• Better psychological and physical well-being
• Reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease
• Better coping skills during hardships and times of stress

What an Attitude of Gratitude Is and Is Not

An attitude of gratitude is NOT denying when things are bad. In fact it is acknowledging the difficulties of life, but instead of dwelling on those challenges, it is looking for the good that we experience. It is not delusional in the least. What it is though is looking for as many positive things as possible in every situation. 

While in college my psychology instructor made a statement that has stuck with me. It takes 7 positive events to overcome each negative event. That not only shows the power of a negative event, it also illustrates the need to celebrate every positive event. 

It seems like everyday I will run into a challenge. Some of the challenges I run into are beyond my experience or ability. Working together with others will help us get through.

Being negative could end your

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Berkey Light Giveaway

Black Friday Berkey Light Giveaway

 

Berkey Light Water Purifier Giveaway We are excited to share this Berkey Light Water Purifier Giveaway that sponsored by our friends at LPC Survival. The Berkey Light Water Purifier is an deal water filtration system for everyday use at home, travel, outdoors or during emergencies. Includes one set of Black Berkey Elements. Includes:

• 2 Black Berkey Elements
• Serves 1 – 5 People
• Holds aprox 2.75 Gallons

The Berkey Light is easy to set up and install. It measures: Height x Diameter (inches) 26.5 x 9.25 (base included); The system can also be used without the base and stands 21″; Empty Weight 5(lbs); Holding capacity: Aprox. 2.75 Gallon Configured with two Black Berkey® purification elements the system can purify over 4 Gallons per hour. The containers consist of shatter-resistant, non BPA, copolyester material. If you have always wanted to own one, now's your chance! Submit your entries below. This Berkey Light System is a sponsored giveaway and open to any resident who is 18 years of age or older who lives in one of the 48 US Contiguous States. This giveaway starts on Friday, Nov. 28th at 5:00 am (MST) and ends on Friday, Dec.5th, 2014 at 5:00 pm (MST). The winner will be notified by email and will have 24 hours to respond. If we do not hear back from said winner in the designated time period of 24 hours we will choose another winner and they will have 24 hours to respond from the time the notification email is sent. Please check your SPAM email folders. Good luck to everyone! Let's be prepared for the unexpected!

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Chicken Hot Topics a review

We are nearing the end of the year. It is difficult for me to grasp as this year seemed to have gone by so quickly. Thus is however the time of year when I start thinking about what I would like to add to my little homestead next year.

Any time I decide I am going to add something that I don't know much about I like to do research. This is the time of year I do most of my research. I like to know as much as I can about something new.

I don't know if you have ever noticed, some books avoid anything that could be considered controversial. I first noticed this trend in dog breed books.

There are several things in keeping chickens that are controversial. To some that will sound odd, but join a chicken group or two and you will quickly find that there are folks that will get nasty over some of these topics. Containment, bedding, and feed are just some of the topics that can start a spirited debate. Did you know you could use sand as a base for your litter in your coop. I had never thought about it before.

Chicken Hot Topics

This book doesn't shy away from the more disputed ideas concerning raising chickens.

This book will give you what you need to get started raising chickens from space requirements, litter, all the way to dispatching of the older birds. Chicken Hot Topics: Controversial Husbandry Practices is a book that if you are just getting into chickens I think you should check out.

Build Smart

In  Chicken Hot Topics: Controversial Husbandry Practices Jess covers what I call the never enough syndrome. I think everyone should start small, but what is small to some is huge to others. I remember talking to one person that was asking a lot of questions about raising chickens, which I think is great. I ask them how many chickens they were thinking about getting. Their response was that they wanted to start small like 50 birds. Holy Cow! For us on our property 50 birds would be huge, but to them 50 birds were where they wanted to start. Just imagine though if they had started with 5 birds and rapidly increased to 50. Some people would build several coops along the way.

Other Things Covered

Jess covers commercial feed, free ranging, organic, and even soy free feeds, the pros and cons of each. She does a good job of going into each. I learned things reading her book.

I really like the fact that Jess covers internal and external parasites in Chicken Hot Topics: Controversial Husbandry Practices. She covers veterinary and alternative treatment methods for each some of the methods covered I have used others I had not heard of.

She covers the debate over clipping chickens wings and states if you decide to clip them to seek instruction on the proper way to do so. Guess what? I have a video on how to do so properly you can watch it Here.

Here is a list of the chapters in this book:

Chapter 1: The Space Requirements for Keeping Chickens Healthy 

Chapter 2: Alternative Bedding – Including Traditional Bedding, Sand & Rice Hulls 

Chapter 3: Specialty Diets – Soy Free, Vegetarian, Home-Mixed and More 

Chapter 4: Do Egg Shell Supplements Lead to Egg Eating? 

Chapter 5: Solutions to Egg Eating 

Chapter 6: Natural & Commercial Solutions to Internal Parasites 

Chapter 7: Natural & Commercial Solutions to External Parasites + Egg Withdrawal 

Chapter 8: The Ethics of Wing Clipping 

Chapter 9: Breaking a Broody Hen Responsibly 

Chapter 10: The Safety of Adding Supplemental Lighting to Increase Production 

Chapter 11: Heating the Chicken Coop During the Winter 

Chapter 12: Humane Euthanasia Methods 

Chapter 13: Choosing to Dispatching Aged Birds 

As you can see that is a pretty good list, but wait there's more. (Insert infomercial voice here)

My favorite part of the book isn't even listed as a chapter. It is the resources. She has a glossary, herbals for chickens (huge deal for me), a long list of poisonous plants for chickens, and even a section on medical doses and conversions. The resources are worth the price of the book for me. I hope you will check out Chicken Hot Topics: Controversial Husbandry Practices.

All of the links I provided are to the eBook version from Amazon and are affiliate links. If you would like a print edition you can purchase one from Jess's site 104 Homestead. (Not an affiliate link)

If you would like to know more about Jess and her homestead, I was lucky enough to interview her here on this blog you can check it out Here.

Adding chickens can be a great step in achieving your
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Thanksgiving Should be a Family Event

I remember so many Thanksgivings from my childhood. The women would cook everything and the men would talk hunting or sometimes sports. At one set of my grandparents sports were banned from the television. My grandfather refused to watch anyone play ball.

The feast was incredible, nothing fancy, but incredible none the less. Nearly all of the vegetables had come from the garden. A couple of years the ham was home raised. The turkey was always purchased because turkeys stand around and think up ways to die.

After the meal everyone would sing a few hymns then all of the men would go hunting. It all just worked. Well fast forward about 30 years. It is a lot harder for things to work that way.

My wife works at a hospital and has to work not only Thanksgiving Day but also the day before and the day after. She works 12 hour shifts so Thanksgiving Day is out. I know that blended families have had to be flexible for a long time, but it is fairly new to us.

This year we are celebrating Thanksgiving the weekend before the actual date. I took a vacation day on Friday to help with the cooking. My wife and I both take an active part in the feast preparations.

The day of our event was also the day for food pickup. Our church participates in One Harvest food ministry. It is a way for anyone to purchase lower coat groceries. People can order boxes of food at wholesale. This month we are picking up 15 boxes of food. There are several good things about One Harvest. First is anyone can order you don't have to be "in need" to buy food from them. Second, it gets people out in the community. Third, it helps anyone save money on their grocery bill.

You can go to their site and see if there is a pickup location near you. Every little bit helps.

Family and friends will be dropping by and eating throughout the evening. We tried to have a set time and a traditional sit down meal, we just couldn't pull it together. As long as everyone drops by it will all be alright.

Take some time this year and remember all of the ways you have been blessed. Think about all of the small blessings we tend to overlook. Don't put all of the work on one person. Help make the holiday enjoyable for everyone. Guys help out.

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Affiliate Link Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive compensation for links, endorsements, testimonials, or recommendations for any products mentioned on this blog. Any time you use one of our links for Amazon, if you purchase something The Rural Economist receives a small commission and it doesn't cost you any more. Even if you do not purchase the items I list. In this way you will help support us trying to teach people about self reliance and homesteading. Thanks for your consideration.

Food Brick and Water Brick Giveaway!

Here is a way to get a jump on your food and water storage. Several members of the Prepared Bloggers Network have gotten together to bring you this really nice giveaway. Good luck.

Eartheasy.com has graciously agreed to sponsor a pre-Thanksgiving Giveaway to one of our loyal readers so they can get their food and water storage off the ground! Today you get the opportunity to win FOUR water bricks and FOUR food bricks! The Water Bricks can hold up to 3.5 Gallons of water, and are sturdy enough to stack up to 4 feet tall. They are small enough to slide under a bed, and light enough (even when full) to be easily carried with their handy handle. The Food Bricks are the same size as the water brick, but they are specifically designed to pack, stack, and store food. They interlock and stack perfectly with the waterbricks. Both bricks are made of heavy, durable, BPA-free food grade plastic. Food and Water Bricks are perfect for preparedness, disaster relief, or any outdoor activity like boating, rafting, camping, tailgating, and more, and you can enter to win your very own set of EIGHT food and water bricks (4 of each) today!

Homesteader, Prepper, or Survivalist?

If you pay real close attention you can sense that a change is slowly occurring. There is a gradual but massive shift taking place. One side of this shift is very encouraging the other is equally discouraging. There are people who have never questioned anything starting to look around and actually see the world the way it is and yet there are still others that are falling further asleep. I get questions almost every week on a variety of subjects ranging from solar power to digging a well to food storage. I love these questions. They mean someone is working toward being more responsible for themselves and their families. 

Labels

For some reason we all have a need to label everyone, including ourselves. I think some of it has to do with the image we want to portray and some of it is where we live. I prefer to be called a homesteader with prepping tendencies. A friend of mine prefers prepper with homesteading tendencies and I also know a few survivalists.

Foodsaver Giveaway

 

I have stated that a foodsaver is on my list of things to get and it still is. Here is an opportunity for you to win one. Good luck.

We have some FoodSaver tips and giveaway today! Have you been wanting a FoodSaver® Vacuum Sealer? Well, today is a sponsored post by FoodSaver® and we are so grateful to be able to share this giveaway with our readers! You can use FoodSaver bags, FoodSaver containers and mason jars to preserve your food for the pantry or freezer. This FoodSaver® Vacuum Sealer FM2000 comes complete with the following:

Included In Offer:

3 - Quart Bags

2 - Gallon Bags

1 - 11'' x 10' Roll

1 - Accessory Hose

We quote from the FoodSaver website "The FoodSaver® FM2000 Vacuum Sealing System keeps food fresh up to 5x longer and saves up to $2700 per year based on buying in bulk, on sale and preventing waste. Form and function combine with a sleek, compact design and easy-to-use manual operation to preserve a variety of foods."

Tips

Use mason jars to make your breakfast meals, salads for a week, buy food in bulk and put in smaller FoodSaver bags or mason jars to store and save $$$$! Please share how you would use this awesome giveaway if your name is chosen as the winner.

Terms & Conditions:

This FoodSaver® Vacuum Sealer FM2000 Giveaway is open to any resident who is 18 years of age or older who lives in one of the 48 US Contiguous States. This giveaway starts on Monday, Nov. 10th at 5:00 am (MST) and ends on Sunday, Nov. 16th, 2014 at 5:00 pm (MST). The winner will be notified by email and will have 24 hours to respond. If we do not hear back from said winner in the designated time period of 24 hours we will choose another winner and they will have 24 hours to respond from the time the notification email is sent. Please check your SPAM email folders. Good luck to everyone! Let's be prepared for the unexpected!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Affiliate Link Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive compensation for links, endorsements, testimonials, or recommendations for any products mentioned on this blog. Any time you use one of our links for Amazon, if you purchase something The Rural Economist receives a small commission and it doesn't cost you any more. Even if you do not purchase the items I list. In this way you will help support us trying to teach people about self reliance and homesteading. Thanks for your consideration.

Natural Spa Gift Bag Giveaway

NATURAL SPA GIFT BAG GIVEAWAY

This is a great gift bag that most ladies would love. Guys I know you know someone who would appreciate this as a gift.

$60.00 Value
4 - lbs Sonoma Sea Salt
1 - Sisal Sponge
2 - 8oz Jars Cocoa Butter
1 - Cocoa Butter Bar w/case
2 - 1oz Jars Unrefined Shea Butter
3 - 3.5oz Bars Organic Coconut Oil Soap
3 - Fragrance & Alcohol Free Hand Sanitizers

Natural Spa Gift Bag Nov. 8th 12:00AM EST - Nov. 14th 12:00PM EST 2014

Blue Yonder Urban Farms – Unscented Handmade Soaps & Body Butters. Are made with the finest unrefined Shea Butter, organic unrefined food grade Cocoa butter and organic Coconut oil. The Cocoa butter still smells of Chocolate.

Natural Spa Gift Bag Giveaway is sponsored by Blue Yonder Urban Farms you can visit the website here:http://blueyonderurbanfarms.com

Natural Spa Gift Bag Giveaway is open to any resident who is 18 years of age or older who lives in one of the 48 US Contiguous States. Alaska & Hawaii are excluded due to shipping costs. This giveaway starts on Saturday, Nov. 8th at 12:00 AM (EST) and ends on Friday, Nov. 14th, 2014 at 12:00 PM (EST). The winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond. If we do not hear back from said winner in the designated time period of 48 hours we will choose another winner and they will have 48 hours to respond from the time the notification email is sent. Please check your SPAM email folders.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Affiliate Link Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive compensation for links, endorsements, testimonials, or recommendations for any products mentioned on this blog. Any time you use one of our links for Amazon, if you purchase something The Rural Economist receives a small commission and it doesn't cost you any more. Even if you do not purchase the items I list. In this way you will help support us trying to teach people about self reliance and homesteading. Thanks for your consideration.

Using the Signs to Predict the Weather

For as long as there have been enough people to communicate talking about the weather has been on the top of the possible subject list. You know right after the, "I am fine how are you?", portion of the conversation. Everyone has heard "What do you think about this weather?" or "Hot enough for ya?" next time someone asks me that I am seriously considering saying "Well I just saw a camel spontaneously combust." or how about "Cold enough for ya?" and penguins are freezing to death.

For equally as long people have been trying to figure out how to predict the weather, I grew up hearing all about the signs. No I am not talking about the stars and using the farmer's almanac, but that is a good place and I do use it. I am talking about the things that happen all around you. Little ways that nature gives you a heads up.  None of these are scientific, I have not researched all of them, but for the most part they all seem to be very accurate. Some are thousands of years old and some may be only a few generations. I know a lot of people call these old wives' tales, but people used the signs of nature to help them prepare for what was a head, I hope you enjoy.

We are going to cover a variety of these weather predicting signs. Many of these I didn't know. I ask for people to share the ones they had heard on The Rural Economist Facebook page and I will be mentioning several people who shared the ones they heard. This is going to be cool so hang in there.

Rain

Water dog, Sun dog, or Sun Devil

This one I actually do know a little of the science behind. A sun dog can be a little piece of a rainbow on one side of the sun, two pieces of a rainbow on opposite sides of the sun, all the way up to a circular rainbow all the way around the sun. This is caused by sunlight shining through moisture, normally ice crystals, in the atmosphere. Old folks always said that when you see a sun dog it will rain in three days. Most of the time it's true.

Circle Around the Moon

A circle or ring around the moon is also caused by ice crystals or moisture in the atmosphere. The number of stars inside the ring is the number of days till rain or bad weather will arrive. Thus far I have found this one to be true every time. Have you ever seen this?

The Position of a Crescent Moon

This sign actually has several meanings. My dad calls is the new crescent and the old crescent. Picture the crescent moon as a bowl, if the bowl is tipped it is pouring the water out. If the crescent moon is flat or tipped up it is holding the water in. My grandfather took the crescent moon's orientation into consideration when it came to planting. I have also heard that the position of a crescent moon has bearing on when livestock deliver babies. When the crescent moon is flat or tipped up it is holding the baby in. For the most part I have found this to be true.

Tree Leaves Turned Upside Down

I wish I had a picture of this one, but sadly I don't. Not long before a big rain comes in several types of trees will turn their leaves upside down. I have seen this one many times and this one I would almost say is always right. I knew about this one, but had forgotten to add it to my list. Special thanks to Genevieve Roesch and Anita Conly for reminding me. I am very glad you are a friend and neighbor of The Rural Economist.

Ants

When the ants build their mounds high they are preparing for rain. Makes sense. Thanks to Grace Worth for reminding me of this one.

When Winter Will Arrive

Katydids

Mark down the date of the first night you hear the katydids call. Mark on the same date 3 months later will be the first cool spell. Always right. At least every time I have noticed.

Yellow Butterflies

Here in the southeastern United States these little fellas fly southwest for the winter. When you start seeing them it is only six weeks till your first cold spell. You had better get ready because they are.

When Birds Migrate

This one will depend greatly on the bird you are watching so I cannot place a time frame on it. The one I have noticed is the Hummingbird. If you have fed hummingbirds for a couple of years you will notice that they normally show up and leave fairly consistently even within just a day or two. If they leave early, winter will be early, if they are still around in say late October winter will be later than normal.

Snow or Bad Winter

There are a bunch pertaining to how rough a winter will be. Some of these I knew before and some were contributed by The Rural Economist Facebook friends and neighbors. Some I will talk about and some I will just list. 

Persimmon Seeds

On the inside of the persimmon seed you will see a figure. I could look like a spoon, a fork, or a knife. A spoon means heavy snow (shoveling out), a knife means a bitter winter (high winds and very cold), a fork means a mild winter (plenty to eat). I have done this and seen the utensils, kinda cool but if you open several they may not agree.

Plants

There are several that deal with trees predicting bad weather. I agree with these 100%. Why? The trees main job is to produce more trees. There are lots of animals that eat the seeds and/or fruit that comes from trees. When we are going to have a rough winter it has been noticed that trees produce more of their fruits to make sure that some of their seeds make it through to become another tree. Pines producing more pine cones, oaks produce more acorns, and the mountain ash (rowan tree) produces more berries. 

From the time I was old enough to shuck an ear of corn I have heard you can tell how bad the winter was going to be by how thick the shucks are. I don't know how much weight I put in this one because I have seen really thick shucks and really thin sucks come from the same field in the same year, in fact pulled on the same day. I have also heard that if the skins on tomatoes are tough, if the onions are strong and the cabbage leaves are thick it will be a more harsh winter. Thanks to Paulina Vincent, Marlo Pauch-Wilson, Sara Turner, Dara Wilson, and Annemarie Collard.

Animals

Animals know nature and by extension can tell what the weather is going to do before people do. Squirrels and hornets will build their nests higher in trees. Squirrels, ground hogs, and even deer will have a feeding frenzy in the fall. If you see a squirrel constantly being busy collecting food and even burying their stored food deeper, look out. 

The horses coats will be thicker (extra hairy). I have seen this one first hand as well. Several years ago when I had horses, one fall I noticed that the horses were getting extra hairy. It didn't matter that they had a stall in the barn and were brushed regularly. That year was tough. Very cold, not much snow, but very cold. Thanks to The Reality Pallet, Heidi Allen, and Christina Kamp.

Weather Predicting Weather

I am just going to list a few here.

Rains in September means snow in February.

The number of foggy mornings in August the number of measurable snows in winter.

Thunder in January, frost in May.

Clear moon, Frost soon.

Here is the only one in this list that I am going to talk about to any length. We know it as 

Red sky in the morning sailors take warning, red sky at night sailors delight

The reason I want to point this one out is because it has been around so long that it was even mentioned in the Bible.

 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. Matthew 16:2 KJV

That is a saying that has been around a very long time.

Thanks to Jennifer Arthur, Mindy Manning , Marti Criswell

Spring and Summer

Several of these we have used and still do. Most of them have to do with animals.

When the turtle dove calls it is time to plant corn.

When you hear the Whippoorwill call it is time to put up your ax, cold weather is over till fall.

When you hear the tree frog call, they are calling for rain.

When you hear the cicadas (dry flies) sing the dog days of summer have begun.

Snail, Snail, show you horns, is the sky clear tomorrow?

If there is a hazy yellow/green tint to the sky look out! Tornadoes or hail storms are in the air.

If you don't hear a lot of song birds in the morning there will be storms that night.

Thanks to Patti Holland, Paulina Vincent, Sietske van Schaik

Fall

Sadly I only have one for fall. Mare's tails. When you see the mare's tails the next day will be windy and turning cooler.

I know they are different depending on where you live. Each climate will have different signs, but they all have some. Many are very accurate and some not so much. Do you know of any I left out? I would love to hear them.

All Year Prediction

If you have never heard of it I would like to introduce you to the Amish weather keeping days. I read about this years ago, I tried to look it up online and couldn't find a reference. The 12 days after Christmas will predict the weather for the following year. The 26th will predict January and so on. The catch is you kinda have to know what normal is for that day, but you can get a general feel based on temperatures, wind, precipitation, and the like. I tried it halfheartedly a couple of years in a row. I didn't keep good enough records to tell if my predictions were correct.

I love watching the signs. They give us a heads up on what to expect. I hope you enjoy your

Rural Dreams and Homestead Wishes

Want to try a different and new social media? Check out tsu, I am just learning, but supposedly you get paid for sharing your content. You have to join through someone who is already there. So I you would like check it out here. 

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