The soft-snow coated the gardens where the white calico crept, belly deep, stalking any wayward rodent who dared to enter her domain. Sounds were muted by the snow layer and warmer temps - until the door to the coop was opened and the calls of gleeful duckies echoed across the yard. Temps closer to freezing were a welcome respite from the single digit readings that had kept them stuck inside the coop and greenhouse complex for weeks.

We had a break from our cold streak this past week - though today it's chilly again. The ten day forecast has more highs above freezing than not, so I'm sure the ducks and chickens will enjoy the warmer weather. (I know I will, even with the inevitable mud.) Our average high for this time of year is 28F, so we'll be closer to that than we have been for a while.

My goal for tomorrow is to sort through my seed stash and get any needed garden seeds ordered. We save some seeds from our garden, but order some, too. In storage, seeds for certain crops hold well, while others have dramatic drops in germination with age. (There's a seed longevity chart in the garden planner kit.)

I was talking to a friend who stopped by for a visit this week, and she noticed that we still had bins of summer squash from last fall and asked if we'd done anything special to keep them from spoiling. The short answer was "no" - nothing special had been done since they were picked last September. The longer answer was "yes" - as we've changed our garden soil and plant health over the years, produce is lasting longer after picking. I like it a lot, because it sure saves time not having to process veggies to have them last for months. So I've started on a garden kit product that should help explain the lessons we've learned about soil and plant health. I hope to have that done by the end of the month, if not sooner.

In other goings on, I was talking to my mother-in-law about what's happening to online creators like myself as AI takes over. I've seen quite a few folks who had very busy websites just a couple years ago give up writing online because their traffic has been wiped out. Ours has been hard hit, too, so I'm trying to figure out a way forward that will still help pay the bills.

One of the options I'm working on is partnering with a traditional publisher . My first mainstream print book Common Sense Preparedness: Building Resilience for Uncertain Times will be out mid September 2026. It has personal stories combined with the hype-free style you know from the website.

We're also officially confirmed as speakers for the Homesteaders of America conference October 9-10 in Virginia. It'll be a bit of a trek for us, but Amy needed somebody to talk about root cellars, so off we go. If you happen to be attending, we'd love to meet you.

This Week’s Resilience & Abundance Boost

• Notice the quiet work of the season. Watch how animals, soil, and stored food carry you through winter — there’s reassurance in systems that function steadily beneath the surface.
• Take inventory for the future. Sort seeds, supplies, or tools now while things are calm; do a little garden reading. Small planning steps today make spring smoother.
• Invest in soil and foundations. Whether it’s garden beds or personal skills, improving underlying health pays dividends long after harvest time.
• Adapt with curiosity, not fear. When industries shift or routines change, explore new paths with the same steady mindset used in homesteading — experiment, learn, adjust.
• Strengthen community ties. Conversations with friends, family, or fellow growers often yield ideas and encouragement no book can replace.

Resilience grows from observing, adapting, and preparing — trusting that steady effort in quiet seasons shapes what comes next.

All our best to you and yours,

Laurie (and August IV, August V, and Duncan)

This week's featured articles...

The wild winter weather has knocked out power in some areas, and spring storm season is just around the corner, so I figured it was a good time to update What to Do When the Power Goes Out. This article covers short term and long term basics for power outages.

If you haven't taken the plunge into gardening, there's no time like the present. Our How to Start a Garden article has been a reader favorite for years. I freshened it up a bit for gardening season and ease of reading.

For some homemade sweets for your sweetheart, try these easy homemade mounds candies.

These chocolate almond bonbon cookies are also fancy enough for gifting.

Here's a fun offer from the Herbal Academy. You can enter to win a beautiful herbal library featuring 12 beautiful books from the speakers in their upcoming herbal conference later this month. You can enter to win here, but don't wait, because the giveaway ends tomorrow (Feb 8th) at midnight.