Just a quick tip for everyone before I head off this morning. During an emergency, one of the first things everyone does is call their loved ones to be sure they're ok. With so many people using cell phones, these "lines" can get tied up rather quickly. Landlines are usually open. However, we all seem to have portable phones now to give us the freedom to walk around the house while we talk, and, when the electricity is out so are our phones. We should all have one of our phones be the old fashion, no electricity required kind that only plugs into the phone outlet. These are very cheap, usually 5 or 6 bucks at the local Walmart. You can also pick them up at Goodwill or Salvation Army on occassion.
The other advantage for hardline phones over a cell phone is that 911 will have your physical address. I know lots of people have switched entirely to cell phones with no hardline service at all. Check in your local area. Many phone companies are required by law to supply 911 service even if the customer does not use them for their local or long distance service.
Well, that's it for now. Hope this quick tip will help keep you safe and connected.
Know what you do matters, keep preparing and remember, "Just 'cause there's snow on the rooftop, doesn't mean there ain't a fire in the fireplace." See you next time.
Candy
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
The Importance of Storing Water
Hi everyone,
I was going to do a little piece on a great raised bed garden I saw in town the other day, but something happened Thursday that brought to the forefront the importance of prepping in general and storing water in particular. So that's the tact we're going on today.
In any emergency, there are 3 things we need to stay alive: food, water and shelter. And of these, probably the most important, except in extreme weather conditions, is water. You can live for weeks if necessary without food and, given reasonable temperatures, longer without shelter, at least long enough to build something. But we can only live 3 days without water. More importantly after as little as 4 hours in extreme heat, dehydration sets in and our ability to think diminishes.
Here in Southern California, henceforth to be refered to as The People's Republic of California (PRC), after an extremely cool July, summer hit with a vengence. When I arrived at my ranch to feed and water the birds Thursday, the compression fitting on the well blew. After a hasty trip to Home Depot, I put the new fitting on, which promptly blew again. Those dang pipes never did line up properly. Three more times putting it back together and it seemed to hold. I got half way through watering one building when, dang, no water. I raced back to the well to see water shooting all over. The fitting had let go again.
I muscled it back together, a little too much muscle it turned out, because when I turned it back on, a glued joint past the turn on valve broke loose and it was all over. No using the well that day. Even if I had had the fitting and glue to do the repair then, I still would not have been able to water because the fitting would take time to dry or it would blow again.
Fortunately,I had learned a valuable lesson. Two years ago, the pump went out on the well. For two weeks I had to water from 40 or so one gallon bottles brought from home each trip until I managed to replace the pump. After that, I have kept those 40 or so bottles filled and stashed around the ranch, just in case.
In the 100+ heat, and many birds with minimal water left in their dishes, this could have been a major problem since I would not be able to get back there the next day. But I was was able to feed and water all the birds before I ran out of light using my emergency water supply.
In case of a earthquake, hurricane, tornado or even a ruptured water main, water systems can be disabled It is important to have the recommended 4 gallons of water per person per day available in your home. It is also a good idea to carry a couple of gallons in your car at all times, either for drinking if you get stranded or for adding to your radiator for overheating problems. ( A roll of duct tape to wrap a small leak in a radiator hose is also a good idea.)
Well, I hope my predicament has been of some value to you. Know what you do matters, keep preparing and remember, "Just 'cause there's snow on the rooftop, doesn't mean there ain't a fire in the fireplace." See you next time.
Candy
I was going to do a little piece on a great raised bed garden I saw in town the other day, but something happened Thursday that brought to the forefront the importance of prepping in general and storing water in particular. So that's the tact we're going on today.
In any emergency, there are 3 things we need to stay alive: food, water and shelter. And of these, probably the most important, except in extreme weather conditions, is water. You can live for weeks if necessary without food and, given reasonable temperatures, longer without shelter, at least long enough to build something. But we can only live 3 days without water. More importantly after as little as 4 hours in extreme heat, dehydration sets in and our ability to think diminishes.
Here in Southern California, henceforth to be refered to as The People's Republic of California (PRC), after an extremely cool July, summer hit with a vengence. When I arrived at my ranch to feed and water the birds Thursday, the compression fitting on the well blew. After a hasty trip to Home Depot, I put the new fitting on, which promptly blew again. Those dang pipes never did line up properly. Three more times putting it back together and it seemed to hold. I got half way through watering one building when, dang, no water. I raced back to the well to see water shooting all over. The fitting had let go again.
I muscled it back together, a little too much muscle it turned out, because when I turned it back on, a glued joint past the turn on valve broke loose and it was all over. No using the well that day. Even if I had had the fitting and glue to do the repair then, I still would not have been able to water because the fitting would take time to dry or it would blow again.
Fortunately,I had learned a valuable lesson. Two years ago, the pump went out on the well. For two weeks I had to water from 40 or so one gallon bottles brought from home each trip until I managed to replace the pump. After that, I have kept those 40 or so bottles filled and stashed around the ranch, just in case.
In the 100+ heat, and many birds with minimal water left in their dishes, this could have been a major problem since I would not be able to get back there the next day. But I was was able to feed and water all the birds before I ran out of light using my emergency water supply.
In case of a earthquake, hurricane, tornado or even a ruptured water main, water systems can be disabled It is important to have the recommended 4 gallons of water per person per day available in your home. It is also a good idea to carry a couple of gallons in your car at all times, either for drinking if you get stranded or for adding to your radiator for overheating problems. ( A roll of duct tape to wrap a small leak in a radiator hose is also a good idea.)
Well, I hope my predicament has been of some value to you. Know what you do matters, keep preparing and remember, "Just 'cause there's snow on the rooftop, doesn't mean there ain't a fire in the fireplace." See you next time.
Candy
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Welcome to Seasoned Survival.
This is the first of what I hope will be many visits sharing our experiences and learning from each other ways to improve the quality of the journey on through seasoned part of life.
There are so many thing we all still want to do. And for many, those things seem unachieveable, but I tell you they are probably not. You may just have to take a different tack to get there. I want to help us all find that different way of getting where we want to go.
In this blog, I want us all to realize that self defense, and being prepared for emergencies, either natural, economical, or man-made are things we can do to improve our quality of life. These aren't things just for the young. In fact, it may just be that the Seasoned Citizen needs to do these things even more than those youngsters, because we don't have as much time to fix anything that might go wrong if we're not prepared.
Our challenges are different from the younger crowd. We have bodies that don't always work the way we want them to and many suffer from a feelings of loneliness or useless. There are ways to compensate for these aging bodies and we are definately NOT useless. All the years of experience just need to be shared and utilized. We need find ways to contribute to our communities, and in turn know that our lives still make a difference. What You Do Matters.
Thanks for joining me on this journey. Please feel free to give me feedback. Comment, contribute or complain by responding on the blog or you can contact me via email at team_effort@att.net.
And remember, "Just 'cause there's snow on the rooftop, doesn't mean there ain't a fire in the fireplace."
See you next time.
Candy
This is the first of what I hope will be many visits sharing our experiences and learning from each other ways to improve the quality of the journey on through seasoned part of life.
There are so many thing we all still want to do. And for many, those things seem unachieveable, but I tell you they are probably not. You may just have to take a different tack to get there. I want to help us all find that different way of getting where we want to go.
In this blog, I want us all to realize that self defense, and being prepared for emergencies, either natural, economical, or man-made are things we can do to improve our quality of life. These aren't things just for the young. In fact, it may just be that the Seasoned Citizen needs to do these things even more than those youngsters, because we don't have as much time to fix anything that might go wrong if we're not prepared.
Our challenges are different from the younger crowd. We have bodies that don't always work the way we want them to and many suffer from a feelings of loneliness or useless. There are ways to compensate for these aging bodies and we are definately NOT useless. All the years of experience just need to be shared and utilized. We need find ways to contribute to our communities, and in turn know that our lives still make a difference. What You Do Matters.
Thanks for joining me on this journey. Please feel free to give me feedback. Comment, contribute or complain by responding on the blog or you can contact me via email at team_effort@att.net.
And remember, "Just 'cause there's snow on the rooftop, doesn't mean there ain't a fire in the fireplace."
See you next time.
Candy
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