What is a Gorean Free Woman?

 

 

I believe that a Gorean free woman should, first of all, be committed to living by Gorean principles, philosophies, tenets, ideals, etc, just like anyone calling themselves Gorean.

• She should understand and revel in the fact that she is equal (in worth, and almost in status) to, but not the SAME as a man.

Yes, she may well be more capable in many areas, than many men, and some women may even be more capable than the average man at some of the things at which men more commonly excel, but she should not spend her life trying to prove it.

• As a woman, she graciously and gracefully encourages, empowers, and entrusts the men around her to be men, without constantly challenging them just because she CAN. She knows her individual strengths and weaknesses and puts them to use in a way that is beneficial, not just to herself, but to her family and community, and complementary to the men in her life.

• She never attempts to emasculate men; Even if they deserve it or seem to be doing a good job of it themselves, she does not dignify it with her notice .

This isn't to say that she will cover their asses for them if they do it to themselves, nor will she compromise her own honour or integrity to help someone else save face, but she will be supportive to those in her community who are deserving of such.

• She never hides or is ashamed of her femaleness, but rather celebrates it, with pride!

Here on Earth, in real life, we do not have to choose between being frigid, seemingly sexless, inert creatures, or being enslaved.
I believe that what Norman was really trying to point out with his extremes between frigid, haughty, shrill, tedious FW, and joyous, licking slaves, was that there is a balance.. That, as is stated a few times throughout the books, there is some of the slave and some of the FW in all women. I really think this is true, and that we should not hide who we are for the sake of convention.

• She enjoys being treated as a lady, being protected, cared for, and nurtured, having bags, boxes, doors and chairs held or carried for her...

Even though she can do all those things for herself, and does not NEED a man to do them for her, she does not see it as an insult or a condescending act, but rather, a tribute to her womanhood. By the same token, her gracious acceptance of such things is a tribute to their manhood.

• She understands and accepts, gracefully, the fact that somewhere out there, there is a man, or men, who is her "natural master", and that, if she ever meets one of them, she will have no honest recourse but to take her place at his feet.

In summary:

• We are female, and proud of all that entails.
• We are strong. We do not compromise ourselves, our values, our honour, or our fellows.
• We do not pretend to be anything we are not, nor do we pretend not to be anything we are.

---

*More of my thoughts on what it is to be a Gorean FW can be found here.

Post Schedule

I decided I'd try to get a little more organised now that I'm actually posting more things here on a regular basis, so I'm going to try to keep certain topics to certain days of the week, so as to provide varied content, rather than 10 posts in a row in one area, and then 5 more in another, and so on. 

I may or may not actually stick to this guideline, and I may still, at times, go long periods without posting anything, but we'll see. 

For the time being, here is what it will try to look like:

Mondays - Recipes
Tuesdays - Thrifty food tricks
Wednesdays - Gorean topics
Thursdays - Preparedness
Fridays - Other thrifty stuff or "life hacks"
Saturdays -Misc
Sundays -Misc

Great way to easily save leftover sauces, puréed foods, gravy, broth, etc

Sometimes a recipe calls for just a little bit of something, but that means you have to cook the whole thing or open an entire can or jar, leaving you with the rest that has to be used up before it goes bad. 

Well, a way that I've dealt with that for years is by freezing. Not just freezing the entire lot in a solid block though - that just puts you in the same boat next time you want to use a little bit! 

All you need is an ice tray (or several, depending on how much you have to freeze and whether you want to do it all at once), some plastic wrap, freezer bags, and a marker. 

Put the stuff in the ice tray. If you're putting more than one thing in the same tray, be SURE you'll be able to tell them apart! You may want to write down which squares have what, either in a numbered list, or a little drawing of the tray "grid"

 Squish it all down and smooth it out. This not only makes it neater, but also gets rid of air pockets, which will help keep the the cubes at a constant volume, and prevent freezer burn.

Smooth a  piece of plastic wrap down against the food, pushing it down so it is in full contact. This also helps prevent freezer burn.

 Put the tray in a sealed freezer bag. My freezer bag wasn't quite big enough to seal around the tray, so I wrapped it up tightly in several layers of plastic wrap to keep the air out. (Again, freezer burn prevention) Then stick it in the freezer.

 Once it's frozen solid, empty your tray into the bag and freeze. Now you can use as little or as much as you like at a time for recipes, single servings, etc. The picture doesn't show it, cause I forgot to do it at first, but it's always a good idea to include the date on the label as well.

I have used this technique for years and years.

When my kids and grandkids were babies, I made baby food in the blender out of whatever everyone else was having, and I always made enough to have some left over for later meals when the baby was hungry and I wasn't up to cooking. 20-30 seconds in the microwave and it's ready to go! (Always be sure to stir well and test the temperature of microwaved foods before you feed to baby!)

It also works very well for preserves, fruit toppings, gravy, wet dog/cat food, pizza sauce,... Basically, anything that is the right consistency to go in the trays. Great for portion control and measuring.

Recipe of the week - Hearty Whole Grain & Seed Bread

As always, if you just want the recipe, without the story behind it, click here, or check out the AllRecipes Link. And if you make it (or someone else makes it and you eat it), PLEASE leave a review there too!

A dense, hearty, healthy, and delicious everyday bread that easily slices paper thin for tea-time sandwiches right on up to hefty chunks for serving with soups. 

Don't be intimidated by the long ingredient list; It's really easy! 

This recipe was modified from the Flax and Sunflower Seed Bread recipe on Allrecipes. I started there and then kind of went crazy with it. I was trying to create a "Dave's Killer Bread" clone, and everyone who has tried this bread has REALLY liked it and compared it favourably with Dave's. It's definitely one of my absolute favourites, and I have a LOT of great bread recipes!

 

 

 

Like all my bread recipes, this one's instructions are for the bread machine, but obviously, if you know how to bake bread the old fashioned way, you'll already know how to modify it for that. 

Hearty Whole Grain & Seed Bread

Servings: 16
Yield: One 2 lb loaf

Equipment: 

• Bread machine 

 Ingredients: 

• 2 1/4 Cups water
• 2 Tbs and 2 tsp olive or grape seed oil
• 2 Tbs honey
• 2 Tbs molasses
• 1-1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 Cup misc flour
• 2 Cups whole wheat bread flour
• 2 Tbs buttermilk powder
• 1 Tbs cocoa powder
• 3 Tbs vital wheat gluten
• 2/3 Cup flax meal
• 1/4 Cup (+1/8 C reserved) oats
• 3 Tbs (+1 Tbs reserved) sunflower seeds
• 3 Tbs (+1 Tbs reserved) pumpkin seeds
• 2 Tbs (+2 tsp reserved) sesame seeds
• 1 Tbs chia seeds
• 2 Tbs poppy seeds
• 2 Tbs course cornmeal
• 1Tbs quinoa
• 1 Tbs millet
• 2 Tbs cracked wheat
• 2 Tbs wheat germ
• 1 Tbs amaranth Grain
• 1 Tbs bulger
• 1 Tbs hemp seeds, shelled
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions: 

1. Place all ingredients (except reserved seeds/oats) in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer.
2. Select whole wheat cycle. Add the reserved items at last knead cycle (or signal, if machine has one).
3. Let cool for a bit before removing from bread pan.
4. Try not to burn yourself when cutting yourself a slice before recommended! ;)
5. Enjoy!

Notes:

• To make the bread vegan, substitute agave nectar for honey and omit buttermilk powder 
• Lightly toasting the sunflower, sesame, and pumpkin seeds adds a mellow, nuttier flavour - Just pop them on a baking sheet under the broiler in the toaster oven (or regular oven) for 4 minutes or so. 
• Other grains/seeds can be substituted or added. Just make sure the overall amount of seeds and grains remains about the same. Regular powered milk may be substituted for buttermilk powder. 
• Perfect for sandwiches, toast, dinner bread, or just a quick snack with butter, cheese, or nothing at all. 
• Add a beaten egg or two for extra protein, flavour, and moist/eggy texture (don't use the timer setting if adding egg) 

"Preppers"? Isn't that the same as survivalists? Those guys are nuts! (The truth about emergency preparedness)

In "my day" (meaning, before I turned into an old fogey), we called them survivalists. Nowadays, the more common term is, "prepper".

 The thing they have in common though, is that, for many people, the words bring to mind a rather specific sort of image - paranoid, grizzly, scary looking mountain men packing lots of automatic weapons and hiding out in underground bunkers or high security compounds, cults, crazy cult leaders and mass suicides/homicides, meekly cowering multiple wives, children, and child brides, all waiting expectantly for  society to collapse.

Recently, there has been a renewed interest in what is now known as "prepping", and I think this is mostly a good thing (with a few caveats).

More and more websites are popping up, catering more to the everyday citizen interested in being prepared for ... well, whatever. Again, a VERY good thing, IMO.

I never thought of myself as a survivalist, and I don't think of myself as a prepper now. I was just raised to always be prepared for anything. I've had a go bag and emergency supplies as long as I can remember. My parents taught me how to survive in the wilderness as well as at home without power, plumbing, transportation, etc. I learned a huge amount of what I know as a child, in Girl Scouts, Young Marines, and military school. I've been going out into the woods with only what I could carry on my person for a couple weeks at a time since I was 12. It was just normal.

I always thought the "survivalists" were just as crazy as most other people did, and was VERY clear all my life that I was NOT one of "those crazies", despite the fact that I had a lot in common with "them".  The fact of the matter is, I was then, and still am a "survivalist/prepper/whatever we're calling it this decade", and so are LOTS of perfectly sane, level headed, everyday people!

It's all about mindset...

There are all sorts of things that can and do go awry in day to day life. Those things run the gamut from mildly inconveniencing to big time catastrophic, but even just a few actions, taken now, can turn many catastrophes into inconveniences, or at the very least, survivable situations.  You don't have to buy property in the boonies or stock up on all the latest survival gear to be prepared for life's curve balls. Now, I will admit that once you start, it's very common to get more serious about it, and you'll likely find yourself taking more steps to ensure your and your family's survival, and even comfort during a crisis of any sort, but even small steps will give you an edge and make your life easier when things go wrong! 

You're probably already doing several things all the time for emergency preparedness that you haven't even thought about whilst reading this post.

Do you wear a seatbelt? Do you wear or have a PFD on hand when boating? Do you have smoke detectors and fire extinguishers in your home? Do you carry a jacket, sweater, or umbrella when the forecast calls for the possibility of rain or cold? Do you have jumper cables in your car?

All of these things are "just in case" measures. We aren't expecting a car crash or fire every second of the day, but we prepare for them anyway. "Prepping" is no different! 

If you read this entire post, rather than simply blowing it off as more paranoid rantings, you're already ahead of more than half of the population. Now, why not do some searches on emergency preparedness and see what you find? Focus on the realistic stuff. Don't worry about the stuff that doesn't apply, because, well, it doesn't apply!

Updating preparedness for life's changes and using your brain

As I've mentioned in a few posts recently, I've been completely overhauling my go bag - updating it to account for the fact that, in addition to becoming disabled, I am also ageing, have changed size, and, whilst I've been mired in some of my Luddite-like ways, technology has been moving right along, and actually coming up with some pretty awesome innovations!

I had already given up my little bottle of iodine (which was in my kit since the early 80s) in favour of a Lifestraw, and changed out the old white gas pack stove for something even more lightweight and not dependent on special fuel some years ago, as well as a few other changes over the years, but the last couple months, I've really been re-evaluating my entire setup and making some more drastic changes to get with the times.

The fact is, I can no longer do a marathon type trek, hunt, or anything else which requires the sort of stamina that I had when I was younger and hadn't broken my back. I've been in denial, and hanging on to old ideas because I didn't want to admit to myself that there are a lot of things that I just can't do anymore. And that sort of bullshit can get me, as well as anyone who depends on me, killed! 

 Yes, if I absolutely HAVE to, I can still do a lot of the things I could before, but the price is extremely high, and not worth the payoff, when, just by changing some of my pack contents, I can have a shelter up and fire started much more quickly and with WAY less energy expended - energy that I can use for other things, rather than being useless for the next several hours because I used up all my spoons trying to be Rambo, rather than being smart!

So, think about it, especially if you've been doing this preparedness thing for a while...
When's the last time you took a good, hard look at your supplies, without letting your ego or what you wish were still true get in the way of things?

Yes, there may be abundant flint rock in your locale, and you can totally find enough supplies in the wild to build a shelter, fire bow & drill, boil water in a leaf, carve your own spoon, make your own tools, etc, and you can hunt, trap, fish, forage, etc to get some food in your belly, but is that really the best use of your energy when you're stranded in the middle of nowhere? 
Even if you ARE still physically able to do all that stuff, why waste precious time and energy doing it in an emergency situation if you don't have to?
The answer is that there is no good reason for that. Yes, it is a very good thing to have those skills in case you do need them - in case you end up in a situation where you literally have nothing, but that should be your very last resort, not your main plan. 

The time to impress your buddies with how well you can survive in the wilderness with nothing is on a planned wilderness trip, where you have some options and people know where the hell you are and when you're expected back, NOT when the shit has just hit the fan and everyone is cold, tired, hungry, and possibly scared and/or injured. Trust me, people will be FAR more impressed at that point with how fast you can have shelter, fire, water, food, and ways to get rescued in place!

Saving your frozen & perishable foods in a disaster (and why a full freezer is good preparation!)

I've encountered several posts around the web recently, which discourage having a large amount of frozen foods stored up.
Why? Because "when the shit hits the fan and you lose power, all your food will spoil". Invariably there are examples of how many people lost massive amounts of food to spoilage when [insert disaster here] struck.

Well, OK, I suppose there is some merit to that, but what about all the things that can go wrong where you DON'T lose power?

Here are just a few things which can cause you to be unable to get fresh foods from the store, which don't necessarily include power outages.

• Injury
• Illness
• Vehicle breakdown
•  Flooding
• Earthquakes
• Tornadoes/Hurricanes
• Severe weather
• Quarantine
• Major police activity (such as nearby hostage situations, prison escapes/manhunts, shootings, etc)
• Riots (they don't only happen in the "famous" big cities!)
• Road closures
• Loss of financial stability

And what about those of us who are just dirt poor and buy in bulk when things go on sale cheap?

Honestly, there are tons of reasons to keep your deep freezer full in preparation for the lean times or when you can't get out and about for whatever reason. For me, the argument of, "but if you lose power for days, all your food will SPOILLLLLL!!!", just doesn't hold water.

Canned and dehydrated foods are usually a LOT more expensive than fresh or frozen foods. They are also usually not as tasty or good for you, so only keeping those around just because your frozen stuff might go bad someday is, IMO, just as stupid as being unprepared in general.

If and when a disaster happens, or is imminent, if you have a freezer full of food, you are already several steps ahead of most!

If things are short term and/or you don't lose power at all, your food will be fine, and you will be enjoying fresher, more nutritional foods while everyone else is losing their minds, without even having to go beyond your porch or yard.

If the power is out, don't open your freezer more than once per day, and do it quickly, preferably in the coolest part of the day/night.

If you do this, things previously frozen at 0° in a packed  freezer should stay frozen for a couple days at least. A half full freezer will keep items frozen for about a day.
To maximise the time food will stay frozen,  place frozen foods as close together as possible. The less air space between items, the colder things will stay. Fill up empty space with newspaper, paper bags, clothing, blankets, or anything that will minimise air pockets. Cover freezers and refrigerators with heavy blankets to provide further insulation.

Eat dairy and other refrigerated, perishable food first.

If the power is out for the long haul, don't panic! You can still save all or most of your food, and avoid having to scavenge, hunt, etc for longer than everyone else. (Make sure you don't make it obvious that you've got food stores, and be prepared to defend your supplies.)

As soon as it becomes apparent that the lights aren't coming back on any time soon, get ready to start drying, smoking, cooking, and canning.

As food thaws, start cooking and/or drying or smoking it. 
Cooked food can be canned. Meats, as well as many fruits and vegetables can also be dried for longer term storage. You can dry fruits on top of the covered grill on screens, drying racks, in cloth or mesh bags suspended over the heat source.

Put as much food on the grill and over the fire at once as you can cook/smoke properly, to conserve fuel. If you have a smoker or smoker box insert, USE IT!  Smoked items, even if not completely dried, last longer than regularly cooked foods. Don't forget that you can dry foods anywhere there is air flow and at least some heat. You don't HAVE to use a fire for all of it, though it will make it faster.

If you don't have any way to keep things cold, you're going to need to dry or can everything that you won't be able to eat before it spoils in fairly short order, so be sure you learn the methods for doing so and make sure you have the supplies you'll need NOW.

There are several methods for drying/preserving food, and using a combination of them is probably your best bet. 

Since there are already tons of books, videos, and articles to be found, including many for free on the web, I'm not going to post the how to's on smoking, drying, and canning here. Just do a search and get to learning.

 Remember to practise your skills before you need them to survive!