So…I started New Year's Day with what I thought was just a little stomach upset from eating some leftover ham salad that Darlene had warned me about twice. She said it smelled funny. I said it smelled fine. Guess who was right? Not yours truly, that's for sure.

Spent the first three days of January making more trips to the bathroom than I care to count, and just when I thought I was turning the corner, whatever bug this is decided it wasn't done with me yet. Now I've got a throat that feels like I've been gargling broken glass and a cough that sounds like a wounded moose. Darlene keeps bringing me hot tea with honey and giving me that look that says "I told you so" without actually saying it out loud, which somehow makes it worse.

But here's the thing. Even flat on my back feeling like I've been run over by a combine harvester, I couldn't let this week pass without reaching out to all of you. Because sitting here in my misery, scrolling through my phone between naps, I've been reading your emails and comments from the past few weeks, and I got to thinking about how incredibly fortunate I am to have built this community with all of you.

When I started The Preparedness Post back in 2019, I honestly didn't know if anyone would care about what some guy from Missouri had to say about getting ready for hard times. But here we are in 2026, and this newsletter has grown into something that means more to me than I ever could have imagined. You all have become like an extended family, scattered across the country, all working toward the same goal of being ready for whatever comes our way.

Getting Your Sick Room Ready

One thing this experience has taught me is that I should have had a better sick room setup prepared ahead of time. Right now Darlene is running up and down the stairs every hour bringing me things, and that's not fair to her. If I'd been thinking straight, I would have already had a bin prepared with everything a sick person needs.

I'm talking about a dedicated container with tissues, cough drops, a thermometer, pain relievers, a water bottle, some easy to eat crackers or soup, a small trash bag, hand sanitizer, and some electrolyte powder packets. When you're losing fluids from both ends like I was earlier this week, those things are worth their weight in gold.

The other thing I wish I'd done is set up a more comfortable recovery spot. A good sick room should have easy access to a bathroom, good ventilation, a way to prop yourself up comfortably, and ideally be somewhat isolated from the rest of the house so you're not spreading your germs to everyone else.

Prepping Priorities for 2026

Being sick gives you time to think, sometimes too much time, and I've been reflecting on what I want to focus on this year both for myself and for all of you reading this.

I think 2026 needs to be the year we get serious about medical preparedness. Not just having a first aid kit, but really understanding basic medical care. I'm planning to take a wilderness first aid course this spring, something I've been putting off for years.

Water security is another big one for me this year. We had some issues with our well pump last fall that reminded me how dependent we are on that one system. I want to get a hand pump installed as a backup, and I want to expand our rainwater collection beyond the two barrels we currently have.

Food production is always on my mind, but this year I want to focus on increasing our calorie crops. Potatoes, dry beans, winter squash, things that will really keep you fed if times get tough. I've gotten pretty good at growing tomatoes and peppers, but I need to be more serious about growing foods that provide serious nutrition and storage potential.

A Special Thank You and Big News

I need to take a moment here to just say thank you to all of you who have supported this newsletter over the years. When I'm lying here feeling like absolute garbage, one of the things that keeps my spirits up is reading your messages and knowing that this work matters to people.

And speaking of thanks, I want to mention something I've been working on that I'm really excited about. Many of you have written to me about Bitterroot Pass, the novel I published a couple years ago. I've been overwhelmed by the response to that book, by the thoughtful emails discussing the characters and the situations they faced.

Well, I've been writing a sequel, and it's getting close to being finished. But here's the thing, I'm not going to publish this one traditionally. This one is going to be a gift to all of you, my newsletter subscribers. When it's ready, probably sometime this spring, I'm going to release it for free exclusively to the people who read The Preparedness Post.

The new book picks up about six months after Bitterroot Pass ends. The Hayes family is settling into their new reality, figuring out how to survive long term, dealing with the challenges of community building in a world without functioning government or infrastructure. I've tried to make it even more realistic than the first book, incorporating things I've learned from all of you.

So thank you for being here. Thank you for caring about preparedness. Thank you for being part of this community. I'll be back next week with a regular issue, hopefully feeling a lot better than I do right now.

Stay safe out there, and take your vitamins.

Kyle