When moving from California to Oregon, we loaded a full-sized moving truck with all of our stuff.  It's always amazing how much we accumulate when we're trying not to.  As we loaded, it became apparent to my husband and those helping us that if society collapsed and all of the toilet paper companies shut their doors, ours was the place to come for such a luxury.  I had over a dozen Costco packages of toilet paper stashed throughout the house ... probably more like two dozen ... my husband would say even more.  It became a joke when packing things tight, "Oh, won't toilet paper fit here?"  And when checking to see if cupboards and closets were empty, "Check to see if there is any toilet paper left."

​All I can say is I am perfectly fine not EVER running out of toilet paper.  But, being prepared is more than that.

​Anyone who has laying hens knows that they lay far more eggs in the summer than the winter.  Well, maybe not if they live near the equator or add light during the winter to induce increased laying.

​I learned after having a surplus of eggs in the summer that I couldn't just stick them in the fridge and use them through the winter, especially when we have a long dark winter.  Before we sold surplus eggs, I did give some to friends, but I hate buying supermarket eggs in the winter.

​We've moved around to different states, which felt normal to me as I am a military brat.  However, that also means that you can't enjoy the long-term rewards of your efforts, such as planting fruit trees.  It also complicates owning larger animals.  While living in California, we decided we wanted to settle in Oregon, so we made the move.