By the author of Dear Diary: It’s Me, Jessica Dear Diary, It’s me, Jessica. “Let me check on the stew,” Mom said as she put her cards on the table and went over to the Dutch Oven hanging over the fire in the fireplace.  Dad had built what looked like a very small swing set inside the fireplace from the pipes he found.  The Dutch Oven hung to one side of the fire for low and slow cooking.  “Hummmm, about another hour, I think.  I can add the rest of the vegetables now, though.”  Mom went to the kitchen while Rae, Allison, and I waited.  We were playing rummy.   “Rae, how are you doing with knitting?” I asked. “Better!  Much, much better.” “Oh, Rae.  You are being hard on yourself,” Allison said.  “You are just starting out.” “Honey, I would not let Samson or the puppies sleep on the first few Afghans I tried.” Allison looked at me and rolled her eyes. “Once I get done with this Afghan, I am going to try something a little more complex like putting cables into a cowl.” “That sounds neat,” I replied as Mom sat back down after she put the vegetables in the Dutch Oven.  “Whose turn is it?” “Yours, Mom.” While Mom looked over her cards, Rae continued, “I went to Four Corners the other day and traded for some more yarn.  Oh, Savannah delivered another baby with Daniel assisting.” “Boy or girl,” Mom asked as she laid a card down. “Boy.” “How many deliveries does that make for Savannah?” I asked. “This is her third, I think,” Rae answered, drawing a card.  “Daniel said the postpartum monitoring is just as important as the delivery.” “Well, every bit of experience Savannah can get makes her that much better,” Mom noted. “Right,” Rae agreed as she discarded. There was a tap on the back sliding glass door, it was HAM Guy.  Mom waved him in.   “Good afternoon, ladies,” he greeted us as he slid the door closed behind him.  “Got your laptop for you, all charged up,” he said as he placed it on the counter. “Thank you.  What do I owe you?” Mom asked. “Got any dried herbs you’d be willing to part with?” “Oh, I got plenty.”  Mom got up and went to the pantry.  She named them off as she handed zip-lock bags to him.  “Thyme, basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary.”   “That is plenty, thank you.” “Save me the plastic bags.” “Will do.” “Any news on the radio nets?” Rae asked.   “New guy popped up on the net the other day, outside of Philadelphia.  Said about a week after the power went out, people started coming out of the city, looking for food.  People on the opposite side of Philadelphia, they used whatever heavy machinery they had and dropped all the bridges over the Schuylkill River cutting off Philadelphia entirely.” “Chicken and biscuits!  They were just looking for food.” “Yeah, I get you Rae.  But Philadelphia is the sixth-largest city in America, with over a million people.  Even if only 10 percent left the city heading West, you are still talking about over 100,000 hungry people.  He said it only delayed the inevitable.  The food in the sub-burbs ran out a few weeks later. Many left the suburbs and went in search of food in the countryside.  Some people out there knew they would be coming, just like the people coming out of Philadelphia, and they dropped bridges or used construction machinery to make barricades out of big rigs, dump trucks, buses, whatever was available.  If there were no bridges, they blocked the roads.  There was fighting too, of the fist and gun kind.” “How did he survive?” I asked. “He was a little cagey about that.  I do not want to say some of us in the HAM community are a little paranoid, but some of us in the HAM community are a little paranoid.  He hinted he had some of those freeze-dried food survival buckets.  He rationed them after he used up all his canned and other non-perishables.  Not uncommon for us HAM types to have those; I even had a few, but not a dozen.  After that, squirrels, rats, whatever he could find.” “Jamal says a well-seasoned rat burger is not that bad,” I shrugged. “Well, he heard rumors of there not being so much as a rat, cat, dog, or pigeon to be found in all of Philadelphia, but he cannot say if that is true or not.” “People get hungry enough,” Mom added and left it at that. “In lighter news, the King of New America is changing President’s Day to King’s Day.  He will ride in the back of a convertible down the main street and allow all his adoring subjects the honor of his presence.  His economic adviser, the turkey, will join him, and his chief of staff, Betsy the cow, will be driving.” “I know he is crazy, but he does offer a degree of humor to the situation,” Rae said with a chuckle. Entry two As I approached the East gate to Four Corners, Tom and Collins recognized me and opened the gate.  Once through, I pulled up my horse to chat for a few minutes with them.  Tom gave me his best impression of a British army salute.  It was so over the top I could not help but laugh.  Collins just rolled his eyes.   “Any news?” I asked Collins while Tom made a few outrageous left-face, right-face, and an about-face and nearly tripped himself. “We have some newcomers.  Yesterday, about a dozen or so people came through the South gate.” “Not con artists?” “No.  They had things to trade.  Sean talked to them for a bit before letting them pass.  Savannah and Daniel checked them out medically.  They are on the thin side, but who isn’t?  Talk to Sean.  He will have more details.” I nodded and nudged my horse toward Four Corners proper.  Yellowteeth Bob was busy recording a deal, glanced up as I went past, and gave me a friendly nod.  I waved back. I tied my horse to the hitching post behind and to one side of Sean’s shack.  Sean had a number of people waiting for him to record a deal, so I decided I would pop over to Savannah and Daniel’s medical station for the story. “A couple of families, a few people by themselves, pushing grocery carts, pulling garden wagons, a few with nothing more than a backpack and what they had on,” Daniel commented. “They were all on the thin side, more so than even us.  They have been on the road walking for months,” Savannah added.  “They had a few things to trade but were more than ready to work for a meal.” “After Sean talked with them and we checked them over, they came in and, true to their word, began to do whatever was asked of them.” “I got the impression they are just glad to be off the road and have some place safe to sleep.  After a well-deserved dinner, their mood seemed to brighten.  We were even able to get them a hot bucket of water to take a sponge bath.  After that, they got out whatever they had to use to sleep on and were asleep in minutes.  Everyone is keeping an eye on them, but they seem to be okay.  Maybe a bit on the guarded side.  When I saw them this morning, they seemed a little more talkative,” Savannah said.   “When you see them, try to be friendly,” Daniel offered. Dad asked me to stop by Nate’s with some drawings for the new water wheel Dad had been kicking around.  On my way to Nate’s, I saw a few of the new arrivals carrying buckets of water.  They reminded me of when I first met Rae and the others who were with her.  They were not thin.  They were what my mom called gaunt. The men’s hair and those old enough to have beards were uneven, disheveled, and even greasy.  I said hello to them as they hurried past.  Only one looked up, gave me a weak smile, and continued on.  I found Nate outside of his RV.   “Good morning, Jessica.  What brings you by?” “Dad asked me to drop these off to you.  New drawings of the water wheel,” I responded as I pulled the drawings out of my backpack.   “Ah!  I have been looking forward to these,” he smiled as he opened them.  “I will get right on these.  Have them for you tomorrow!” “Thanks, Nate,” I smiled.  “See you tomorrow.” On my way back to get my horse, I saw one of the women working to knead bread.  She seemed very intent on the task.  Like the men, she too was gaunt.  It was hard to tell her age.  Her clothing was dirty, her jacket torn at one elbow.  I found myself staring and looked away in shame.  She was not some animal at a zoo to be stared at in wonder. About 1stMarineJarHead 1stMarineJarHead is not only a former Marine, but also a former EMT-B, Wilderness EMT (courtesy of NOLS), and volunteer firefighter. He currently resides in the great white (i.e. snowy) Northeast with his wife and dogs. He raises chickens, rabbits, goats, occasionally hogs, cows and sometimes ducks. He grows various veggies and has a weird fondness for rutabagas. He enjoys reading, writing, cooking from scratch, making charcuterie, target shooting, and is currently expanding his woodworking skills. The post Dear Diary: It’s Me, Jessica: Chapter 1 (Book 3) appeared first on The Organic Prepper.

Valentine’s Day has become a large national celebration. It’s an excuse for couples to rekindle their love through date nights and a chance for kids to give candy and cards to their classmates. Many houses in my neighborhood place red lights on their homes as a way to prepare for the holiday. These gestures are nice. Some of them are more intentional and meaningful than others. However, the true foundation of this day is built on the firm ground of sacrifice. St. Valentine was a bishop who lived in the third century. Emperor Claudius II was in power during Valentine’s life, and he decided to outlaw marriage because he believed that this would help him gain more soldiers in his army. Despite this law, Valentine decided to support those who desired to live out their vocation. He began marrying couples in secret despite the new law. He knew that love was more powerful and important than anything else in this world. He knew that the number one priority of our lives is to love and give ourselves away in sacrifice. When word spread about Valentine’s actions, he was imprisoned. His decision to marry couples cost him his freedom and, ultimately, his life. While in jail, he became friendly with the jailor. They would have conversations and became close. Valentine was even credited for healing the jailer’s blind daughter. Valentine and the daughter became close and he would frequently sign his letters to her “your Valentine.” Valentine’s Day is therefore concerned with romantic love. That is accurate and historical, based on this bishop’s desire to marry couples against the law of the emperor. There is something about the love of a husband and wife that is meant to be all-encompassing. Marriage is a perpetual and unbreakable bond, which promises the future of self to the other, no matter what the circumstances of that future might look like. In this way, we see that love is built on a choice, not a feeling. Too many people in today’s culture, unfortunately, claim that love is about a feeling. Once we fall out of love, we no longer need to remain together, even if we have committed our lives to each other. The witness of St. Valentine, rooted in the cross of Christ and the logic of love, states that true love is personified by acting for someone’s good when we don’t feel like it. This truth is encapsulated in the life of Mother Teresa, perhaps the most impactful modern saint, who would often say: “Love to be real, it must cost—it must hurt—it must empty us of self.” On Valentine’s Day this year, this is the most appropriate question: Do my most important relationships (spouse, child, parent, sibling, best friend) cost me anything? What am I willing to do to ensure that my love for these people is sacrificial and not selfish? Ultimately, this depends on our circumstances, but there are some sacrificial characteristics that we can learn from St. Valentine and apply them to our own lives. First, sacrifice takes intentionality. The man or woman of great sacrificial love deeply reflects on and considers how they can act for the one they love in a way that reveals their heart for them. Second, it takes vulnerability. The word “vulnerable” literally means capable of being wounded. Valentine was willing to risk his life so that couples could enter the unbeatable bond of marriage. All love requires that we make ourselves vulnerable in a radical way for the other. We do this by placing all that we are before them to ensure they know we will do anything for their good. Finally, Valentine teaches us that true love means going above and beyond. It was not good enough for Valentine to simply supper these couples or tell them the emperor was wrong. He married them and cared for them. Even when he was imprisoned for doing so, Valentine continued to love those around him like the jailor’s daughter—because true love knows no end. So, on this Valentine’s Day, how can your love be grounded in sacrifice? For that is the entire reason for the day. We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal.  The post Love as Sacrifice: A Valentine’s Lesson appeared first on The Daily Signal.

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Lucie Arnaz, daughter of comedy legends Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, opened up in a rare interview about the unique connection her parents maintained even after their divorce. In an exclusive clip from the Catchy Comedy Network’s Catchy Loves Lucy programming block, Lucie reflects on the balance between their groundbreaking career and family life. Fans familiar with the legendary duo will gain insight into their personal lives through her perspective. During the interview, Lucie Arnaz shared how her parents’ love transformed over time, explaining that their bond wasn’t broken by divorce. She noted that while the stress of their busy careers created challenges, it ultimately allowed them to respect and support each other in new ways. Lucie described a relationship rooted in admiration and care, even after marriage ended, revealing her parents’ continued connection behind the scenes. Lucie Arnaz on Her Parents’ Relationship Everett Collection As a slideshow of vintage photos of her parents played, Lucie recalled, “When I see those old movies, I see two young people in love, building a house together, giving silly parties. Just regular, ordinary people.” She explained that while their professional ambitions sometimes conflicted with their family life, the admiration between Lucille and Desi endured. Lucie Arnaz/Instagram In the view of People, Lucie Arnaz also highlighted the gestures that kept their connection alive, such as Desi sending red and white carnations to Lucille every anniversary and their regular phone calls. She noted that their post-divorce relationship allowed them to support each other while pursuing separate lives, proving that love can evolve without disappearing. Lucie Arnaz Shares Personal Insights LUCY AND DESI: A HOME MOVIE, top from left: Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz; bottom: Desi Arnaz Jr., Lucie Arnaz (aired Feb. 14, 1993). ©CBS / courtesy Everett Collection Beyond recounting her parents’ relationship, Lucie emphasized the human side of their legendary careers. She will provide interviews throughout Catchy Loves Lucy, offering fans a rare glimpse into her mother’s genius and character offscreen. Her reflections reveal the balance her parents struck between public success and private devotion, a legacy that Lucie Arnaz continues to honor. Screenshot from People Magazine Fans can tune in to Catchy Loves Lucy, which premieres February 15, to hear more from Lucie Arnaz. Her commentary promises an intimate, heartfelt perspective on the duo who shaped television history, offering stories and insights unavailable elsewhere. This rare interview allows audiences to appreciate Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz not just as icons, but as parents and people. Next up: Doris Day’s Glassware Storage Inspires Timeless Home Bar Design That Anyone Can Duplicate The post Rare Interview: Lucie Arnaz Reflects Gives Fans Glimpse On Famous Parents’ Connection, Even After Divorce appeared first on DoYouRemember? - The Home of Nostalgia. Author, Ruth A