By Rowan O'Malley

I love my life on the homestead: being outdoors and growing lots of food in the garden. Heck, even doing chores that most folks find tedious, like piling wood or organizing the shed, are enjoyable to me when I'm out getting some fresh air in the bargain. But let's face it: what this lifestyle relies on is a lot of good, honest manual labor. If my ability to do that is jeopardized in any way, my ability to stay independently on my homestead is jeopardized as well.

This brings me to the inspiration for my topic: Just in the past week, I have heard several stories of neighbors, friends, and friends of friends taking bad falls. One homesteader around my age (fifties) slipped on ice and broke her arm in two places. Her doctors are now contemplating rebreaking her healing arm to insert a plate. In the meantime, she is in considerable pain, and her husband is doing everything, as she is unable to do most of her chores. He works off the homestead, so this has put a strain on them.

Like any good prepper, I always think about the "what ifs" in life. So, these days, I realize that my friend will get her surgery she needs for her arm and recover over time. Now, consider what might happen to her in a SHTF scenario? An injury like that could be life-threatening. There is the possibility of infection in a complex fracture, and where, exactly, are you going to get surgery? In your cousin Bob's kitchen? Eeks! Would you ever regain the use of your arm if it is inexpertly/incorrectly splinted? 

Being unable to perform chores in SHTF could jeopardize not only your survival but also that of your family or chosen survival group. Finally, being vulnerable in that way could make you a target for unsavory SHTF types.