Sunday, March 11, 2012

Born, Raised and Married to be a Prepper


by Self Reliant Network on Wednesday, 15 February 2012 at 22:47 ·
Written by: Rebecca Plummer

 Self Reliant Network where: “Iron Sharpens Iron"


In the beginning (Hmm where have I heard that before)  I was born to one Alice may and Donald Wayne Lovelace, as early as I can remember my daddy had us out fishing camping and watching him dress out, wild boar, dear and wild goats from Catalina Island, Colorado and Utah. Not to mention fresh and salt water fish of every kind.  He was an avid archery hunter and fisherman. He had us kids shooting archery in elementary school and to this day I’m still pretty good at it.

We used to spend hours fishing out on the jetties at the ocean and shark fishing out of the boat by night; we also did a lot of Camping and watching him fly fish for trout. Looking back they were pretty awesome times…


My grandparents used to take us camping at Veil Lake with our cousins, what a blast we had. I used to go out with a halter & lead at the riding stables and catch the rental horses, swing up and ride them in to be saddled up.  All threw school I ran track, played softball and was an avid swimmer.


My true love was my horses. To this day the smell of a feed store, tack room or even a sweaty horse makes me smile. Even today if we drive by a big load of alfalfa hay I’ll roll down the window and stick my head out, hoping to inhale the sweet smell of alfalfa wishing I could reach over and grab a piece to chew on.


 I was at the stables every day as a kid; I could never get enough of my horse. We barrel raced and used to ride down the railroad tracks in the evening’s to watch the quarter horses race a Los Alamitos race track. I grew up in Westminster Ca, Believe it or not at that time there where stables everywhere.


They’re pretty much gone now along with the acres of sweet strawberry and tomato fields. It’s all been turned to cement all the agriculture is gone. It’s all but a memory.


Moving on to high School where I met my mountain man/soldier husband Jack.  As I said, I grew up on the coast and most all the boys I went to school with weren’t what I would call rough and tough. Most of them I could out run, out swim and climb.


We moved out to Riverside California and behold a boy that was a challenge, he ran faster, jumped higher, out swam me and out climbed me. Wow, who was this hat, boot and vest wearing guy…


He had a dog (Ringo) as big as a pony that used to sit outside class at school and wait for him. I fell in love instantly… with Ringo! Then a few short months later, my soon to be soul mate, Jack. He tells me it was love at first sight for him, Jack new the first time he saw me, I would be his. That’s about all the mushy romance you’ll get in this story!


A match made in High School!  We shot archery and guns together, Hiked, fished and camped. He could even ride a horse! The real clincher for me, Soul mates for sure…


Jacks dream was to either move deep into Alaska and live off the land or join the army and become a great solider, which he tried to do at 15, but was caught trying to use his brother ID…


He joined the army at 17, graduated High School, we married in Las Vegas Nevada and he went off to boot camp at 18 and became an “82 airborne Paratrooper”


He was a great soldier. Aced all the schools they sent him to and won many awards for leadership and endurance. He respected his troops and they respected him. 


We spent about the next ten years in the military raising our 2 children. Doing all the things with them we always loved to do ourselves. We learned to adjust to rapid change and to travel light, never really getting attached to anything or holding on to tight. Not usually having a lot of money we learned to make a lot out of very little.


We still say to this day: “If it doesn’t kill you it will make you stronger” and we believe it!


To be honest prepping came very natural to us, we were preppers before we even knew what prepping was.


Jack’s Military training equipped him to adapt and overcome extreme challenges, how to shoot, move and communicate under fire. (Oops, I shouldn’t have mentioned that, we’re sure to be on another government watch list now! LOL)  myself being an army wife, I learned just how far we could stretch ourselves and our resources to make things happen. Our thinking was that making the most of what you had available was the norm and not the exception.


After our son graduated from high school we moved to Oregon, bought a small place with some acreage, and started a small farm with some chicken, sheep, horses, and a garden. It was more of a hobby farm than anything else. Jack spent as much time as he could hunting and fishing and I tended the animals and stocked the pantry. Not in the mindset of prepping yet, but it just seemed like the thing to do when you live on a farm. We had our fair share of failures certainly, some of them really funny and others not so funny, in looking back experiences that we wouldn’t change if we could, well maybe a few.


As I said earlier, if it doesn’t kill you it can only make you stronger. These early experiences would be the foundation on which we would build from later on.

We’ve traveled to many locations since Oregon, the path from there to here interlaced with many colorful and crazy characters and story’s. From city folk to country folk we have been there and back.


The city certainly has its conveniences, but one can easily become dependent on those conveniences. Knowing that everything on the shelves had to be processed and then shipped it’s easy to see just how fragile the system really is!  Not to mention un- healthy physically and mentally. Not many people really know what’s in their food or where it comes from anymore!


Where was I, oh yea, the desire to get back to the country continued to stir in us and we left the city lights and moved back to the simple comfort that only the farm can give.  It’s only been over the last three years we have come to realize that we are actually preppers. Gee all these years we were preppers and never knew it! Now however, we are prepping with the understanding of why we need to be doing what we are doing, also the drive to share with as many as will listen.

Jack and I have always been tenacious and driven to be self sufficient. We’ve questioned authority not with disrespect, but with a boldness to seek truth from those in authority. But in doing so, we have learned that those in authority have little desire to be transparent. One of the best ways for them to maintain authority is to keep the masses in the dark and dependent on them to provide for their needs.


 Once our self sufficiency is taken (or more likely surrendered) their control is guaranteed. Seeing this happening all around us, we knew the key to our freedom was going to be our ability to stay self reliant.


Along the way we have become strong Christians and Lovers of Christ. We not only see our world around us falling to the greed and arrogance of mankind, but understand through scripture that these things are destined to take place.


Looking back, I believe Jack and I have been in training for days such as these are whole lives, with where we have been and what we have endured, I’m sure God has a plan for us in the days that lie ahead. Our hope is to be as ready as we can be and to share with others as best we can so that we all can become as self sufficient as possible.


It is extremely difficult for one to come to a place where they can honestly see the direction of where the world is headed and acknowledge that they will have to change their entire thought process and begin to live a way that is contrary to the cultural norms they have been conditioned to live by (or more aptly conditioned to be slaves to!)


Asking the typical spoiled over indulged American to give up what they have become accustom to and then prepare for the worst possible scenario is just unthinkable, we are Americans after all!!!


Sadly, too many in our country are only about a month or two from living on the streets and can barely keep food on the table this week. For them to even think about food storage is too overwhelming, not to mention the other multiple  prepping needs that will have to be met.


We try to start people off with baby steps. By educating and encouraging them our hope is to see them grow more confident with every step forward! Doing something is better than doing nothing…

  Self sufficiently is never fully achieved, merely pursued.
                                      Prepare for the worst, but hope for the best!!!


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