I planted my Earth Tones Dent Corn last night – not much came in the pack and I’m thinking about going back to Rural King to get some more.  I had to wait later to plant this than I wanted because my gardening neighbor also planted corn (to eat) and I didn’t want to cross pollinate and ruin his food crop!  So this is what it looks like (image borrowed from Johnny’s Selected Seeds):

 I’m going to attempt to make beads out of the dried kernels – hopefully those colors will as impressive off the cob as they are in the picture!

This was supposed to be up yesterday but at some point, apparently, Wednesday turned into Tuesday and I didn’t figure that out until Thursday…

The Zombie Apocalypse is a subject near and dear to my heart.  It started as joke with my Mom and my Brother but now it’s become a rather motivating factor… that ‘what if’ that wiggles around in the back of your brain. While not ‘crafty’ exactly, the exploration of the Zombie phenomenon makes you be creative – and if it does happen we’ll certainly need to be inventive to make it through!

 My Zombie posts will hopefully serve as a reminder to take a second look at the shambling hordes around us everyday and keep all the exits in mind.

 So today we are going to talk about the coming Zombie Apocalypse, The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks, and Zombie Preparedness.

 As we all know, the Zombie threat is very real.  It could strike at any time from any number of sources, be it cosmic radiation, terrorists, our own government or some teenage chemistry wunderkind playing in his garage.

 And so we must be prepared and we must be vigilant!

 Step 1: Buy the Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks.

I found this book wandering through Books-a-Million one day and laughed. I started to pass it by and then realized just how thick it was.  It made me wonder.  How in the world could someone write that much stuff on Zombies?  So I cracked it open… and was immediately hooked.

 This book actually takes a very realistic approach to surviving a Zombie outbreak; from a pro/con examination of not only weapons, but clothing and methods of transportation, to planning for a siege, to escaping an infested city.

 I bought two copies – one for myself and sent the other to my Brother, the Marine.

 But then I didn’t really sit down and read it.  Real life got in the way and it languished on my book shelf.  I’d pick it up every now and then and read a few paragraphs about weapons or clothing and then put it back.

 Then the ice storm hit… and we were without power for 18 days.  I was bored to tears and had a constant headache from the kerosene fumes… and I saw the book.  So I picked it up, flashlight in hand, and curled up in bed under 3 layers of clothes and 4 comforters.

 Let me just say that reading about Zombies when there’s no lights anywhere and you can’t see the neighbor’s house 20 feet from your own, there’s no phone or cell service (because they can’t keep fuel for the generators), and the only radio station you can get is a static-y country station from the next county… not my best idea!

 This book is so detailed and it really takes a down and dirty, ‘this could happen’ realistic tone – it raised the hair on the back of my neck.  Then too, all the advice inside makes logical sense, and he provides you all the information you would need to make good decisions in an impossible situation.

 It’s a great scary read – even if you’re not a Z-Day enthusiast.

 So – Step 1 in the Zombie Preparedness Plan – purchase and read Max Book’s Zombie Survival Guide.

 Step 2 – Make sure to rescue someone you can’t stand from the initial incursion… that way you can kneecap him later to facilitate your own escape.  Remember – you don’t have to be fast to escape the Zombies, you just have to be faster than someone else…