How to Survive and Thrive When the Power Is Out

By J.L. Noakes

Upper Peninsula, Michigan--First of it's kind handy guide/personal journal that you will want to keep close at hand. Here in it's pages J.L. Noakes delightfully captures the know how of real people who lived before the wide spread use of electricity. From their stories of basic daily living without electricity we learn how to keep food cold, about the ever important ladies and babies needs, one pot recipes, soap making and herbal remedies, all the way to a heart wrenching interview with a woman in her late 90's during Nazi occupied Poland. "Her story broke my heart and kept me up several nights thinking about the horror she and so many woman and children went through," Noakes explains. All these and more are held in this unique, one of a kind book of know how, preserved now for future generations.
"How to Survive and Thrive When the Power is Out" offers the reader secrets daily living from our ancient sisters to early 1900's domestic divas. These mom's kept their families comfortable and healthy without the use of electricity. How did they do it? Every woman with a child will want to keep this book close at hand because you will want to return to it time and time again. Within each section you will find perfect pages to catalog your own family stories, individual triumphs and special healthy recipes and remedies .
There are many families today that are simply wishing for a little more self reliance and peace of mind. Job losses and power outages seem to be a way of life, with unpredictable weather, and sabre rattling by out of control groups and governments adding to the stress. One never knows what might be just right around the corner or over the horizon. Be prepared with "How to Survive and Thrive When the Power is Out" by J.L. Noakes. Put this one on your gift giving list, she will be glad you did.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 13, 2015
• ISBN: 9781503548657

J.L. Noakes

Janet Noakes moved to her wilderness homestead in the middle of wilds of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, in 1995. There she lived in a small cabin without electricity and running water. 20 years later, with her new husband, together they have scratched out a beautifully working homestead. Along the way she earned her Bachelors in Nutritional Sciences graduating in the year 2000. Continuing research into wellness and health became a natural progression towards herbs and herbal remedies. Today Janet educates clients in health and wellness with emphasis on self-reliant living.

Book preview

Copyright © 2015 by J.L. Noakes.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2015903280

ISBN:      Hardcover      978-1-5035-4864-0

                Softcover        978-1-5035-4866-4

                eBook             978-1-5035-4865-7

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 03/12/2015

Xlibris

1-888-795-4274

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Contents

Preface

Section 1

Analyzing Disaster (Natural and Man-Made)

35 Items That Disappear First After a Disaster

10 Diseases Seen First After a Disaster

Section 2

On Your Own

Your Sister, Husband and 6 Kids, It is not a vacation

Section 3

Water and the Human Body

Thirst and Dehydration

Collecting Water

To Make a Simple Saline Solution

To Make an Oral Hydration Solution

Water Needs and Water Storage

That Water is Not Safe

Filtering Water the Natural Way

Section 4

Sanitation

Bleach as a Disinfectant

Vinegar as an Antiseptic

Hydrogen peroxide

RUBBING ALCOHOL

OTHER HELPERS

Effectiveness of Antibacterial Spices and Herbs

Section 5

Keeping Food Cold When the Power is Out

Section 6

Sleeping When the Wind Blows

Getting a Good Night Sleep

Making Sleep Pillows

Herbs that will help induce sleep when used as a tea;

Lessons of a Long Winters Night

Section 7

Winter Cabin Fever

Here are some ideas of games and play…

Section 8

Appetite Fatigue, Bad Behavior and Thinking Ahead

Must Have Kitchen Tools For Long Term Survival

Basic recipes

Section 9

Simple Soap Recipe

To *Gentle* The Simple Soap Recipe

Herbs to use as teas for gentled or softened soap;

Greasy Pots, But Ran Out Of Soap?

To Make Lye Water from Wood Ash

Section 10

Preserving the Hunt

Basic Beef Jerky Recipe

Sun Drying

Smoking

Other Critters

Section 11

Before the Toilet Gets Nasty

Section 12

Ladies and Babies Needs

Home Pregnancy Test

Sacajawea

Emergency Baby Formula

High Protein Baby Formula

Making Baby a Diaper

Homemade Baby Wipes

For Occasional Diaper Rash

For a More Serious Diaper Rash

To Relieve Colic Symptoms

No Pregnancy Wanted at This Time

Herbs to Shun if you wish to be or stay Pregnant

Section 13

How About a Bath When the Power is out

Section 14

Herbal Remedies Quick Reference

Vis Medicatrix Naturae

Section 15

Using Hot Rocks

Section 16

Rediscovering what Great Granny Knew

Section 17

Getting a Fire Started from Scratch

Materials to Help Start a Fire

Appendix A

Understanding that which is Normal

Basics of First Aide

Stages of Wound Healing

Morphine like Pain Reliever

Appendix B Make Ahead Survival Food

Pemmican, Gorp and hard tack

Grab and Go Meals on the Run

Appendix C

When it is Necessary to Pull up Stakes and RUN

Putting Together Your Survival Backpack

Appendix D

What makes charcoal so special?

To make your own charcoal

Resources

~~Signals for Help~~

International ground to air symbols

Dedicated to my precious husband whose love, patience and encouragement kept me motivated and pointed in the right direction.

The two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.

Mark Twain

Preface

5:30 a.m.

I’m so very toasty warm snuggled under the covers. I make the decision to get up anyway, the day is wasting. Slowly I slip from the bed as to not disturb the human heat machine next to me. The room is but 50 degrees this December morning. Normally, the outside temperatures would make dressing in here quite uncomfortable. My clothes would be as cold as the room air, but this year the room and the outdoor weather are questionably pleasant.

As I stand in the living room my eyes need not adjust, our cabin in the woods is dark, an inky, thick dark. No visible light penetrates the windows from the outside. Seems the early morning sky is heavy with gorged clouds awaiting permission from old man winter to spill their contents to earth.

A soft warm glow from the waning charcoals greets me from the kitchen area where the woodstove stands sentry duty warming the cabin throughout the night. Through the glass in the door the last vestiges of hot coals fill the space with amiable light, enough to see our old house cat curled up on the ash rug directly in front of it. The glow from the stove allows me a secure trip to the bathroom, I flip the button on the coffee maker as I tip toe by. Just as I reach the bathroom door the old cabin floor protests under my weight with a couple crackles and a squeak.

A few minutes later, I’m back in the kitchen. I choose to light an oil lamp to delay the harsh reality that hurts my eyes this dark morning. It is easy to hit the light switch on the wall and arrive at December 20th, 2014 with modern electricity. My nostalgic mood dictates that I put the match to the wick of my trusty old lamp this dark damp morning. Suddenly, as the flame explodes and lights the wick, I feel I have been transported to the late 17th century, Downton Abbey. The warm flicker of firelight warms my soul. Ancient memories engulf the darkness.

I set the lamp on the counter top, (an arms reach from the woodstove) and place the ash bucket in front of the open woodstove door. As I scoop out the remnants of last nights’ ash, my brain prepares a reverie, so I surrender to my imagination and let it take me where it wants to go.

A vivid scene opens with a young maiden armed with only a small candle, scurrying through a dark castle wearing a long white night gown. The pats of her bare feet echo from the cold stone corridor floor as she is headed for her Masters sleeping chamber. The lass, pushes hard on the heavy wooden door and is relieved when it only gives one muted moan as she enters her Masters quarters. It has been entrusted upon her to awaken early every morning and light a fire in the massive carved marble fireplace ensuring a warm morning for her Master and Lady.

Small kindling and split logs had been left by the fireplace the night before affording her the quiet she had been so instructed. As my imaginary scene continues, it becomes obvious that this young maiden has been taught well as she immediately begins her work and lays down the small kindling pieces and covers them with yard waste such as moss and very dry leaves. Next she carefully places the logs in a Tepee fashion over the kindling and moss in the mouth of the huge stone fireplace. Satisfied with her effort she reaches for the slim slice of wood that has been soaking overnight in a crock of oil and lights the wooden piece from the candle she carried with her. When it begins to burn hot she slides it between the balancing logs and touches it to the moss and dried kindling. Instantly fire explodes from the tinder and the kindling begins to crackle. She waits a few minutes to ensure all is going well and the larger pieces are burning before exiting the room. The young maiden takes pride in knowing her Master and Lady will awaken to a roaring fire and warm room, she did her job well.

My thoughts are brought back to reality by a bright pale gray hue at my windows. It is beginning to become daylight. I finish my work at the woodstove and relight my own fire. We are not so different, my sister from the past and I.