One of my dreams, ever since I was a child, was to have a farm, with horses, all the necessary farm animals, and live on multiple acres with all of my family, providing everything we needed.

I loved playing Cowboys and Indians, with all of my plastic action figures, their horses, wagons, etc., as well as, watching shows like "The Lone Ranger", "Wild, Wild, West",  "Bonanza", "Big Valley", "Little House on the Prairie", and all of the others.

That dream has never left me, and now I am working toward that goal even more passionately, especially with the state this world is in.

We already have dogs and chickens, but are looking for acreage to be able to expand and start our 

full fledged homestead.

I am even considering partnering with other like minded friends to create a whole community, as I feel that is what will be very necessary in the not so distant future...

We will need to band together, with others of the same goals, beliefs, work ethic, and mindset, who have honed the good old fashioned skills we will need, like farming, canning, sewing, carpentry...and survival skills.

That is also where prepping comes in...

Prepping has recently become an even more popular topic. 

Although many still rely on a complex economic system to supply our needs, some people are opting out of this to various degrees. 

These people instead focus on producing many of the things they need to survive and storing these goods for future breakdowns in our system. 

The dictionary defines prepping as:

• “the action or process of preparing something, or preparing for something.” 

With additional definitions of:

• “the practice of making active preparations for a possible catastrophic disaster or emergency, typically by stockpiling food, ammunition, and other supplies.”

Stated simply, prepping is the process of preparing oneself to survive without a complex infrastructure, such as that which has existed in modern society. The term “prepping” often refers to the act of preparing oneself for life during and after a catastrophic or apocalyptic event.

Many people begin prepping on a low level and then progress to increasing levels of preparedness. 

Along the way, they find that there is a whole community of like-minded individuals with information, support, and friendship, to share information relating to things as this, in the ever growing prepping network. 

Why are we hearing more and more about this subculture? 

There are definitely varying degrees in the prepping community, and a great deal of misconception, as well, so the answers may often be surprising.

How do you get your most basic necessities, such as food and water? 

Many of us are removed from how these and other goods are produced and transported because of modern technology. 

A quick turn of the faucet can get you clean, drinkable water. 

You can even choose the water temperature! 

Food of all sorts arrives from far-off places to be thrown in a cart and then into a cupboard with no further thought. 

Literally, everything we need to survive can be obtained with the swipe of a card....for now!

Most people are reliant on a wide range of services and goods that have held up our society and ensured that necessary products arrive where they are needed. 

We assumed that this infrastructure would always be there for us, that there would never be a need to provide for ourselves, for even a short period of time....

We have found that NOT to be the case in recent years...

There have been other notable times, even in modern history, when this system has failed....

Even in the United States, people have been left without food and other necessities, due to natural disasters. 

At other times, the infrastructure has broken down because of political or economic conflicts... 

Although many have assumed that they would never face such trying times, we have been shown the possibility...and likelihood, is indeed ever present.