"Weather Armageddon?"

"In the depths of winter I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer."
-  Albert Camus

Once again we find ourselves in the path of a massive winter storm.  Viewing the weather reports on T.V. this morning sent me scurrying to double check my emergency home kit (see previous posting).  I wasn't in a state of panic until the weather lady started using words like "weather Armageddon, history shattering winter storm system, blizzard conditions".  Who says something like that with people like me watching! 

After checking my list, I find that I am a few items short of being ready.  Just in case the power goes out I want  to have plenty of food to cook on my Coleman Propane Cook Stove. So a trip into Muskogee is required.  Darn, darn, darn.  Since I now have two outside cats, I must make sure they are safe and warm.  Please, please, please (I'm obsessive-compulsive so everything is done in three's) remember to make preparations for your outside animals too.

Here is my itinerary for the day: 

Hoopes Hardware (extra wick, clean burning lamp oil and candles)

Library (can always read books by oil lamp)

K-Mart (animal food)

Wal Mart (Lord help me!) (people food and more bottled water)

In the rush and crush of everyday living, we sometimes forget to give thanks for all we have.  With a winter storm bearing down on us, I take a moment to reflect on all the things we have to be grateful for.  I can assure you the list of "haves" far outweighs the "have nots".  The most important things are the intangible, the untouchable, the heart song, the smiling soul.  Have you taken time to reflect on the important things in your life?  If not, I urge you to do so.  Strip away the "material stuff" and look to your heart, for this is where the important things are kept. 

Just In Case: Emergency Home Kit

When all is said and done, the weather and love are the two elements about which one can never be sure.
Alice Hoffman

This image and others still haunt me! 

Past experience has taught me Mother Nature can be fickle.  All the local weather stations are warning us of incoming winter storms with snow and ice.  Oh no, the dreaded word ice.  Been there, done that! This time I will be ready and I want you to be too.  This is a partial list of things to have in an emergency home kit in case the power goes out or the roads are too dangerous to travel.

• Three- to seven-day supply of non-perishable food that needs little or no cooking (please don't wait till the last minute to buy your food or you may find many items are sold out)
• Blankets and pillows
• Portable, battery-powered radio and clock
• Flashlights
• Extra batteries
• Manual can opener, bottle opener, and utility knife
• First-aid kit
• Bottled water (minimum two quarts per person per day but preferably one gallon per person per day)
• Candles
• Matches in a waterproof container or a lighter
• Cooler (and keep ice or ice packs ready in your freezer)
• Personal hygiene, sanitary supplies
• Cash (ATMs and banks may not be available)
• Pet supplies for three to seven days (don't forget the water and any medicines they take)
• Playing cards, games, and books for entertainment
• Car charger for cell phones
• Emergency telephone numbers easily accessible
• I have the Energizer Rapid Recharge Battery Kit with car charger (15 minutes to charge)
• I also have a Coleman Propane Camp Stove. To cook food and warm water for bathing.
• Believe it or not, I also have an old rotary telephone that worked great last outage.
• Lots of seasoned and green firewood. (I know the difference now)
• If you take prescription medicine, be sure you have enough to last through the bad weather. 

Assemble as much as you can and put it in a storage tub in a place that is easily accessed in the event of an emergency. Everyone's needs are different, so taylor your emergency home kit to meet your personal needs.

I keep a flash light in every room so I don't have to stumble around in the dark.

There is a huge difference between being inconvenienced and being in a life threatening situation.  I hope  by publishing this list that I can save you the misery and desperation that  Beck and I suffered the first ice storm.   Perhaps the worst of the storm will miss us.  However, if we are not so fortunate, we will be ready.

Simple Living is not doing without, but doing more with what we have.

Thank you for visiting Secrets of Simple Living.  Here's wishing you fair weather.