However, these days, as I'm approaching my 56th birthday, I wonder, "How prepared can I really be on this tiny homestead on my own?" I thought I would take this opportunity to reflect on where things are at: my strengths, my weaknesses, what kind of SHTF I think I'm best prepared for, and what my survival superpower is. 

Everything I do is on my own and on a budget. So, you won't find any gold vaults or secret high-end bomb shelters around here. What you will find is a lot of good old-fashioned elbow grease and some wisdom that has been hard-won from experience. 

My Strengths
My Mom grew up on a farm, and my grandfather could fix and fabricate anything he needed in his workshop there. When I was young, I remember my bicycle wouldn't work…I went and told my Mom. My Mom said, "A bicycle really isn't that complicated….just take a look at it and figure it out." And so it began…

Even when I knew nothing, I have always been brave to fix many things. I learned about figuring things out from all those experiences. Now, I wouldn't say that all of my fixes are pretty, but they do generally work! So, I am a good fixer and figure outer. 

I also take that strength to my garden, where I love to experiment and compare this row with that row, this planting location with that one. I always say that there are no mistakes, only learning opportunities.  Like that time that I found a road kill coyote, and hung and skinned it after watching a couple of videos. My first attempt! I was pretty pleased with myself.

My Weaknesses
I was a competitive athlete in my youth and used to pushing myself to the outermost limit of exertion regularly. These days, in my 50s, that doesn't work out so well. Up into my forties, I could shovel a few thousand pounds of gravel a day. 

A serious back injury a couple of years ago set my shoveling back quite a bit. I was impatient with the injury. Recognizing that I have limitations is frustrating. I still find it hard to recognize that I'm over 50. Thankfully, my back continues to heal. I was out chopping kindling today and realized that I won't "pay" for it like I would have last year.