I don’t know which hour you all lost but I lost the one I usually post in. That may actually just be an excuse for not writing. I seem to have hit the posting wall. The news is so universally bad this morning that coming up with something that sounds even marginally upbeat or positive is impossible. I can’t help but recognize that all the preps in the world would have made little difference to the people of Japan. Still, I found myself updating my BOB, something I rarely think about as I can’t come up with any plausible reason I would ever need to evacuate.
My toe is much better. Thank you all for your advice and good wishes. I would like to extend a warm welcome to all of our new readers. We have many from around the world. Time out.
So I was sitting at the computer, struggling for each word when I got a call from Phoebe’s teacher asking that I bring her forgotten sneakers to school. I got my self dressed, brushed my teeth, ran a washcloth over my face and walked to her school and back in what can only be called bracing air. I returned feeling much better. So that’s my preparedness tip of the day. Just get up. Even when all seems bleak, get up and do something, anything to avoid the trap of depression and inertia. I can now remember some good stuff to share.
Yesterday was a very good day. I don’t usually plan things for Sundays but I accepted an offer to teach a canning workshop for the afternoon. It went really well, with a bunch of good food and lots of laughter and conversation. I didn’t charge for the class but the women who put it on left a basket for donations on the table. I got not only money but also home-made goodies, always a plus in my book. I got home in time to clean up and spend some time with the girls before heading to neighbor’s home for dinner with a bunch of our dearest friends. Then talk was all about things like alternative, small-scale energy projects and equipping our children with the skills they will need to manage in an energy challenged, environmentally challenged, economically challenged world. It was a wonderful night and I hated to leave but I’m pretty sleep deprived right now and clean sheets called.
One thing I have been thinking about a lot this weekend is that you never know. The world can change in an instant and we need to be ready, not just with supplies but with our relationships. Maybe this would be a good time to patch up an old wound or to make amends for a past wrong. I might be the time to call your brother or send you mom flowers for no reason. Today is a good day to thank the readers of this blog for the comments, suggestions, gestures of good will and insights that make this blog such a joy for me (most of the time). I will try to catch up on the comments later. Just now, I have to go call my sister.
March 14, 2011 at 10:01 am
That is one thing I have learned over the past few days with the Japan thing…things can change in an instant. I too, found a good pack to make into a car bug out bag, though only fire will probably drive us from here. In the Japan crisis, I’m thinking a lot of thing will perminently change and most people prepare for temprorary chenge.
March 14, 2011 at 11:49 am
I try to find five small things every day that are positive. It does help me focus on something other than the negative, no matter how large the problems seem.
Thank you.
March 14, 2011 at 12:13 pm
Oh, Kathy, thanks for the reminder. I’m getting up and taking my dog for a walk right now. I have found it so difficult to stay away from the news, but it does take a toll on the psyche, and the truth of the matter is, I’m safe and well and so is all my family and I can’t forget that in all the worries for others on the other side of the globe.
Sue
March 14, 2011 at 12:15 pm
Yes, things/events do seem to be going to h*ll in a handbasket. I must call a former colleague who is Japanese to express my concern and prayers. I will take your advice to get moving; this morning a beautiful sun shines down on our beknighted world and we will take some time to feel grateful for the time together we have. I think this is another call to build community and friendships as much as possible.
March 14, 2011 at 12:31 pm
Thanks for writing this morning, kathy, I needed to read you this morning!
peace, shamba
March 14, 2011 at 2:32 pm
You’re right Kathy, there is nothing those people who ended up in the direct line of the tsunami could have done that would have prepared them to face the tragedy they did. Any preps they might have had in place would have been wiped out. But we just never know… in Sendai where so many homes were destroyed and lives lost, there are houses that were spared… houses where people are still living. I wrote about one such family on my blog. She stood in line for four hours to buy food and then was only allowed to buy 5 items. So while preps wouldn’t have helped those who lost everything… they could still have helped others who were able to stay in their homes. And for those who are less affected… preps would make it possible for them to take in survivors and feed and clothe them. I know that you know all this… it’s just that your post tugged at my heart and I know that your brisk walk helped but I thought perhaps a little reminder that we do not prep in vain might help too.
March 14, 2011 at 2:46 pm
“I can’t help but recognize that all the preps in the world would have made little difference to the people of Japan. ”
I believe you are mistaken. Sure, if the earthquake crushes your supplies or the tsunami washes them out to sea, well that’s that. BUT, if the people in the next unaffected city have prepped, they are now in a position to help you. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able share your stored rice and tea and milk and such?
March 15, 2011 at 7:17 am
I was going to say what Supermom and Pamplemousse have said.
Absolutely, there is nothing you can do directly in line of such a major event. However, I was watching film of people some distance away queuing for food.
And I read that the people near the nuclear power station are being told to avoid drinking tap water, take iodine if available and to keep their homes airtight… Not many, if any, of my neighbours would be able to do any one of those things. I’m not sure the average Japanese citizen will be any better off. I don’t have any iodine handy, but I could do the other 2 things. And I have enough food not to need to go out to get more.
Actually, something else that occurred to me was that any food they were growing is presumably now useless. I’ve been working towards season extension, and other low energy ways of keeping food fresh, like many other people. I live about 70 miles from my nearest nuclear reactor and I know the advice is to residents much closer than that, but it’s a thought.
March 15, 2011 at 11:53 am
I’ve been working on my pantry for a while and today our first set (6) of 6 gallon food safe pails arrived. What is your suggestion for the first things to store in them? I’m inclined to go with wheat flour, sugar, and rice — but I’d love the suggestion of someone with more experience. I do have whole grains stored already as well as rice, just in smaller containers.
Also – does dog food need to be put into a food safe container, or will a clean “regular” 6 gallon pail be ok? Same question for chicken feed. We don’t have the chickens yet but they’ll be here in a few weeks!
March 15, 2011 at 12:02 pm
I would go with the flour (be sure to rotate) sugar, rice and beans. You can store the beans in the familiar 1 pound bags in a bucket if you want a variety or dedicate on bucket per bean. I store pet food in the big canisters that kitty litter comes in. The chicken gain is in garbage pails with locking tops.
March 15, 2011 at 12:39 pm
Okay, that’s something I do not have in the house… iodine… will have to get some and put it with our first aid stores. The closest nuclear reactor to us is 75 miles away, but still… better to have it than not.
We have lots of food and enough water for several days.
We have what we’d need to seal the house, but I was then thinking… what would we do for heat in the winter or cooling in the summer… you couldn’t run your furnace and even if you had a fire place or wood stove, you couldn’t use that because it could draw contaminated air into the house. Same thing with the air conditioner in the summer. And it wouldn’t take long for temps to get well over 100 here inside in the summer. hmmmm… I’ll have to do some more research on this.
March 15, 2011 at 1:31 pm
I will throw this out there just in case some don’t know: the iodine you use for a cut is NOT the iodine you take internally for radiation exposure.
March 15, 2011 at 6:16 pm
Purposeful, outdoor exercise is supposed to be one of the top things to improve mood, with long lasting effects. Seems you stumbled on the perfect activity thanks to those sneakers. We got dogs in a big part to force us to walk everyday.
I try to only read news once a day, and then to read something non sensational like the BBC. It is hard to watch and then to carry on, but we must and we can only do our best.
March 16, 2011 at 4:37 pm
Thank you, Kathy. Of course, that makes sense… that there would be one for external use and one for internal use. As I typed my comment, all I was thinking was that… darn, there’s something else I hadn’t known about.
That’s why I’m so grateful for your blog.
March 18, 2011 at 2:20 pm
On go-bags, we ended up putting ours in our car. Yes it takes up some space, but in case of fire in the house, we realized the first thing we’d be doing is making sure L’s mom/my MIL and the dog get out of the house safely. And by then it might be too late to go back in and get a go-bag. Also, the go-bags have been handy more than a few times when we’re going somewhere. Included in them is first aid stuff.
I have multiple first aid kits — which could probably all be improved, but I have most of the basics in them. In addition to the house, I keep one in the car, and one down in the barn.