Interest in bloging on preparedness.

I read alot. A lot has to do with preps. What I read I generally try out. Some of it I put in my blogs. Some of my blogs are questions meant to get others thinking. Times are getting tough for a lot of folks. I was hoping a blog that focused on preparedness and allowed others to comment and participate would keep my friends motivated. I was also looking forward to meeting others not of my faith but truly concerned about the last days and our need to prepare.
I am back on the band wagon
God Bless
Mark

Dollar in decline, Unemployment , Swine Flu, North Korea

Whats a person to do. Hunker down? In a sense I suppose that is the right thing to do. But I say that metaphorically. At least for the present. With the dollar in decline. Ive heard it said that now is the time to by the goods you may need. They will cost you less this year than next. Of course it does no good to spend money you don't have or to be irresponsible with your money but if there is a genuine need for something that you have been putting off and you can afford it, now may be the right time to buy. Remember the old adage buy once cry once? It refers to buying the best you can which usually cost more hence the cry once. Sacrificing quality in favor of a better price is just buying trouble down the line and often leads to a repurchase of the item and usually of the better more costly item. Learn to care for your property. Whether it is real estate or a fishing reel. Regular maintenance will help it stay operational and hold its worth.

In this era of unemployment I hear so many people still she-dogging about there jobs. I hope they don't do that at work. With so many out of work there are quit a few of us that would be glad to step in and do the work with out compliant. I suppose it is human nature to complain but be careful to whom you complain.

The world just seems to be going crazy right now. North Korea is being an agitator. Setting off more missiles and more missiles will continue to be launched as well as a promised up coming nuclear test.

Swine flu is making its way around the world. The WHO is very concerned. If it is this viral now in the normal off season what will it be like this fall and winter. Its predicted to be much stronger more easily spread and more deadly. http://www.who.int/dg/speeches/2009/influenza_h1n1_lessons_20090702/en/index.html. Check out the link.

Is Iran looking for a show down? Are we (USA) going to overstep our bounds and interfere in there internal affairs.

The media is sure playing it up. It seems to be wanting our citizens to be outraged at the Iranian government. To what end? Is this another bait and switch. Watch Iran and not our own government.

Lots of questions.

I cant believe its been almost a whole month since my last post. My son is home on leave and has occupied a lot of our time. He reports back tomorrow. -(

The world is in an uproar at the moment. North Korea launching missiles and testing nukes. Now they have pulled out of the 1953 cease fire agreement.

While the world watches NK lets not forget to keep an eye on other serious issues. Iran is still a player. Avian flu is still rotating out there and Swine flu is becoming more of an issue everyday. (this fall could be bad) Its following the path of the 1918 spanish flu pretty well. Heck lets not forget the economy is still in the toilet. Don't anybody flush. The POTUS still thinks he can fish this out.

With the above mentioned missile tests and nuclear tests the western world is in a tissy about EMP attacks. Probably for good reason. The powers that be have largely ignored EMP threats and haven't treated them with the same concern as other threats like pandemics or biological attacks or terrorist attacks of a more conventional nature.

Once the power goes out it may be out for awhile. Can you take care of your family for even a short while while solutions are being worked out? Can you you? Have you topped off any of your stores? How is your gas storage? (your car may or may not work) propane? Medicines? Do you have a way to treat water? How is your food storage? Any spare cash on hand? The ATMs wont work.

If the power goes out what about the food in your freezers? Can you can the meats or dry the meats fast enough to avoid spoilage? Do you know how? The time to learn is not in a crisis.

There are a lot of websites out there that deal with how to do almost anything and everything. If the power goes out they will be mostly unavailable. Do you have any of the needed info in hard copy form? Do you have any books on the subjects you need or printed out any pages from reliable websites?

Is your garden in and have you planted things that your family will eat? Zucchini isn't any good if your family wont eat it unless you can barter it for another vegetable.

Lots of what ifs in this post. What if the power goes out for an extended length of time and lawlessness and riots break out in urban areas? Will that travel to suburbia? How do you deal with it? Police cant protect you now, that is not even their job anyway. With communications down and no way for them to get around will they be a factor in your safety? HHhmmmm Lots of questions. Some are moral questions and only you can answer.

Pigs Again

Seems the news is being blasted with this swine flu. And for a very good reason. But I feel there is much the media doesn't understand and certainly the lay person as well. The following link I will provide gives pretty well written and easy understood terms what a flu is where it starts and how it effects humans. This thing has the potential to go catastrophic. Please learn what you can as fast as you can.


All flu starts in birds. Stay safe. God Bless

see the link. http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=100175

H1N1 Swine Flu

Looks like it is spreading and at last report from the CDC it has about a 10% mortality rate. That is including all known cases in the world and all known deaths. So far the US has been spared deaths. The CDC is very concerned over this. There are 4 possible vectors for this flu. Swine, Human, Birds, Cats. All can pass this to humans and once in human it can easily go human to human. If you have taken any precautions in the past for H5n1 Avian or Bird Flu the same precautions will work now. Wash you hands a lot. Use sanitizer when not practical. Isolate yourself when it hits your area. Stay home if you are sick.

If you were planning to wear masks at all N100 are still the best. N95 are good as well but not as good as N100. If they have the valve in the front they will last longer as your hot humid breath will escape with out saturating the mask.

Of course if you plan on spending time in isolation you need to make sure your home stocks are up to snuff. Flu and cold remedies should be purchased ahead of time. They will last on the shelf if not used right away. Keep you larder up so you don't have to make any trips out or have someone drop items off for you.

These are just a few suggestions. I recommend checking out The CDC website as well as the MN department of health.

http://www.cdc.gov/

http://www.health.state.mn.us/

Until next time
God Bless

Getting or staying employed

http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2009/04/22/global_economy_may_shrink_for_1st_time_in_60_years/

The above link is to a an article detailing the future of our economy over the next couple years. Not only ours but the economy of the world.

Unemployment is going to get worse. That just gives me warm fuzzies all over. Being unemployed I can speak first hand of the hardships this causes. It takes a a toll one ones outlook. Long term its mentally debilitating. There have been times that depression runs rampant. I don't know the best ways to combat this. Medications?  Someone out there must have ideas to combat this malidy. 

Enough of my problems. If unemployment is going to be so bad then who's job is safe? What are good industries to get into? For you younger folks still in school my suggestion is to stay there as long as you can. Get the best education you can. A high school education doesn't mean anything anymore. Associate degrees dont mean squat anymore. Today you better have a 4 year degree or better to succeed.

Education!!! Thats the ticket today. It probably has been for a long time I was just to dense to see it. If college is out for you then try a trade school. Look to see where there is long term growth and pick that field. Find something that you will like. It is always better to work at a job you like. Then stay current with that job by attending what ever classes and seminars you can.

Till next time.

More and different reasons to prepare.

Well again its been awhile since my last post. There are multiple things going on in the world to be concerned over. Israel may still attack Iran's nuclear facilities. Of course that would have bad consequences, and our government has stated so. Country's in the area like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and a few others are getting ready for Iran's retaliation against Israel if they attack Iran

North Korea has reactivated its nuclear program.

H5N1 is still out there still growing, still mutating. And there is much doubt about any effective vaccines.

The world economy is still in the toilet. And I think one of the next shoes to drop will be the commercial real estate market. It was announce last night that our local Mall of America will be getting 15 new shops opening this year. But if you listen to the names of most of these shops they were small specialty shops, specialty eateries. I don't think they will last long. Many of the malls are trying to refinance right now. Hopefully they wont have any trouble.

So what does this have to do with preparedness? Everything. There just isn't space enough to list all the things that are in turmoil in the world and I am not a very good typist as most of you can tell. I would be at this for a very long time.

"If ye are prepared ye shall not fear" I really do believe that. I think it prudent to watch the signs of the times. We are even instructed to do so in scripture. If the worst happened could you care for your family for a week? Month? Even longer? With NK recently launching a missle and setting up another missile launch soon how long before they have the success they are looking for? How long before they tip one with a nuclear device and send it into orbit over the USA? How long before NK or Iran sets of an EMP device that could change the way we live for a very long time? It has been discussed at length that it would be easy for a small ship ( think fishing ship or fleet) sitting off the coast in international waters to very quickly deploy a nuclear tipped missile high enough over the center of the US to detonate an nuclear missile. This at an altitude of 150 to 250 miles would make for some pretty intense living conditions here.

Im not prepared long term to live life as they did 100 years ago. Lots of what we take for granted in an EMP situation may not work. Power may be out, localy or regionally. Cars may or may not be operational. Broadcast stations may or may not be spared. Are your electronics protected? Do you have a Feraday cage (large or small) to put your laptop or cell phones and radio's into or any other device that may depend on electricity. Such a cage isnt hard to build.

(Faraday cage, make sure its grounded and the contents are not touching the sides or bottom.)

Just more of what im thinking about this morning.

What is brewing

I have been reading some pretty disturbing things recently. The links of which I have included here. Things  are not looking good for the home team. If the economy gets worse, and there is civil unrest what do you plan on doing? Other than stocking and preparing as best you can I have no suggestions for anyone.

I do believe if it comes to our military being used against our own citizens and martial law being declared things will be much worse in urban and metro areas. But I don't think that suburbia will be immune. If there is out right martial law declared that will put a pallor of fear in right thinking citizens everywhere.

Leaving politics aside as that is not the purpose of my blog, I think it behooves everyone no matter your politics to prepare for your families needs. Food, water should be the easiest to start with. Energy needs will be tougher for most of us. Money? Whats that? I mentioned to a good friend the other day if the economy nose dives money may not be much good. either there wont be much around or there will be way to much and it will be worthless. In either case having commodities will be beneficial. and if your in a position to have extra for trade or barter so much the better. Just remember to take care of your family first.

Now for those links.
http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2008/10/2/amy_goodmans_latest_column_invasion_of_the_sea_smurfs  
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/09/army_homeland_090708w/

http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=20081005214457557

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123914805204099085.html

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Spiritual Preparations

Today is for us LDS a good day. Today we get to sit and listen either by radio, internet, television, satellite or cable to the Prophets and Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. I am confident that there will be talks and messages given today and tomorrow that will be inspired and just what we need to hear.

BUT it may not be what we want to hear. Not unless we are ourselves in tune with the Spirit. How many times have I sat through a talk and thought to myself, that talk was meant just for me. Sometimes something in the address strikes a chord within us.

Unfortunately there have been off key chords struck in me as well. Not that the speaker was of key. But I was. Sometimes when we are not in tune, there flows in us seeds of discord.

This can get in the way of all our everyday life events. God, Our Heavenly Father, wants us to be happy. He wants us to live according to true gospel principles. By doing so we don't have to become slaves to the selfish desires of men or devils.

In all your preparations I urge you to get closer to the Lord. Closer by prayer, fasting, scripture study. Follow the Savior. He will guide us home. Ultimately that is where we all want to go.


He invites us all.

Gerald Celente helps keeps me motivated

Does anyone out there listen or read Gerald Celente? Within the last few months I have found different posts, articles and videos by him and find his information pretty concerning. I mean, for Joe average, it looks like life not only in this country but world wide is going to get pretty difficult.

What I do like about his information is, it helps to keep me motivated. I keep trying to find ways to further my preps. One such way is over the past few months when we have needed to purchase items, usually clothes, we shop second hand stores. I have routinely found items that I can wear that still had the original store tags on them for pennies on the dollar. That has been a real plus for us as my size and weight have both been reducing and I’ve needed to purchase new clothes.

Anytime I can save money, to either save, or use elsewhere (such as bills) that’s great. Another place I found to be of worth is Aldi’s food store. They’re not fancy, but the saving are good. Do a Google search to find the one closest to you. Also for some of your larger purchases of rice or noodles try the Asian markets. Here in the Twin Cities, University Ave and that area in St Paul has lots of them. My favorite is one off of University and Dale. They have a good selection of lots of items and the store is pretty clean.

Apartment Food Storage Space

It has been a couple of weeks since my last post. My idea today is to start thinking outside the box for storage area ideas. I live in a small apartment. Having space available for food storage has always been a problem, especially when we had a kid still living with us. Now this has not always been the case. When we owned our own homes and had basements available, we made our pantries in the basements.

Here in our apartment we have to utilize space better. We also decided to give up the idea that our home will never be a model or on the cover of better homes and garden. We have had 2 liter containers of water stored behind chairs in our living room. Now we only have a few 5 gallon Jerry cans of water behind these same chairs. The upper shelves in our closets are for storage of larger #10 cans. One deep broom closet has 6 gallon buckets of wheat and rice stacked floor to ceiling along the back wall. Another closet has light weight metal shelves installed that are used to stack boxes of dry goods. The spare bedroom that used to be my sons room is now my wife’s “sewing room/food storage room.” I was lucky to be able to get for free some very heavy duty metal shelving and installed four of them in this room. They are used for canned goods and a few items we use a lot of.

In the master bedroom we have rubber maid style totes along another wall stacked two and three high. Some of these contain first aid gear. Some items I hope we will never use but we were able to procure during better times. One of these totes contains cold and flu medications. Others contain pasta’s and macaronis.

We have 72 hour kits in back packs stored on the floor of a closet easily retrieved. That reminds me its time again to start switching out some of the winter items in these packs for spring and summer gear. Under our bed has items stored. We have a couple extra dressers or bureau’s that are dedicated to storing candles, wicks, emergency radios, lights, first aid items.

Most stuff is out of the way of the casual observer unless we are careless and keep doors open. Operational security is important. I don’t want it known far and wide we have items that may be of value under less than favorable climates or a SHTF scenario. Our little place is crowded and its time to de-junk and make better use of what space is still available.

Those are my thoughts for today. In a small apartment it is still possible to find some space to store food. Our Prophets have been asking us to do this for over 60 years now.

Look around you, Who is preparing in any way?

Hopefully you have started putting back food and cloths. Maybe the odd coin or 2 in the piggy bank. Your 72 hour bags are prepared and loaded next to the closet door. You have a bug back bag in your trunk. This just in case the extreme happens and you need to make it home. Your set up. You have been working at this for sometime now. Your to the point where you know your preps will never be done. But if disaster hit right now you would have it covered. You know who's job it is to contact the kids. The school is on lock down but you have already told you teens sneak out and get to the south end under the bleachers and you would meet them there. You wont trust there lives to some government bureaucrat. So every one is monitoring their radios and you finally make it home. What ever this problem is, its keeping people in lock down confinement for a week. Your neighbors are going hungry. They have eaten the last of there pancakes with no syrup yesterday. The kids are hungry. They're bored. They cant go outside to play. Power is off so no video games or computers. Evening are worse, its dark and except for a few candles and maybe a lantern with a oil wick it remains dark. They'll be out of light in a few more days. Then what happens?

Mr Neighbor sees you have a stronger light in the evening and can even hear the muffled thrum of your generator in the garage keeping your battery banks charged and the freezer and TV working. Ms Neighbor comes over for some food to beg for her children. NOW its crunch time. You need to make a decision how to handle this. And of course a lot of factors come into play. Like what exactly is going on and how long will it last? Your reactions can depend somewhat on these answers.

We have decided to try and talk friends and neighbors into collecting their own food and extras. The less people come to my door the less I need to feed or turn away. Of course we wont turn away family and friends. I would never turn away a child. But there could be some people that would want to take what is your. Take it by any means necessary. Can you stop them? Do you have the means. I'm not talking about a gun or knife( knife = nasty business ) I mean do you have the mindset to survive, to defend your stuff, even to the point of extreme aggression. If needed could you kill to defend your child, your husband your wife. Having a firearm will make you dangerous to all concerned. Knowing how to us that arm will make you lethal to the right people. Get your permits to carry and practice. Practice dry firing 1000's of rounds in the house. Practice retention, practice clearing your home. ALL WITH AN EMPTY GUN. Then load it up at the range and shoot. If your allowed to draw and shoot, do it.

Cheryl and myself decided we have to feed even those of our family that is poo pooing the idea of getting prepared. That will be a big drain on our limited resources. But in our mind it is the right thing to do. But we will defend our property against thievery.

Just some more to ponder.

Bullets and beans

Using your food storage. Last week Cheryl was getting the taste for some Mexican food. I prepared a dish that mostly came from our food storage. Tortilla hot dish, (hot dish= casserole) its a MN thing. Any way it was real good. I also prepared some re fried beans out of the buckets of dried pinto beans we have on hand. Cheryl loves bean and cheese burrito's and having a container in the fridge lets us easily make a few for lunch when ever we want. Today after church it was rice and canned chow mien, easy and fast and all from food storage.

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Last night I heard on the news how a MPLS off duty cop working as security in at a gun show accidentally discharged his weapon and wounded another security guard who was a retired LEO. It seems to me anytime there is an anti gun legislature or anti gun bills waiting to be passed there is always some type of accident or worse a tragic event that happens. My problem is I do believe in conspiracies. So I look for them. The justice department is looking to ban imports of popular ammunition like 45acp, 9mm, 7.62x39, .308, 223, and a few others. If your a shooter or believe you have the right to self defense using a firearm and need ammunition for your weapons now would be a good time to stock up if you can. Actually it would have been better to start 6 months ago. Have you noticed the lack of ammunition on Wal-Marts shelves? I looked last week and they were out of almost all hand gun ammo except one box of 44 mag and a few boxes of 38 special. Even if all you have in the house is a 22 get your ammo for it now. Prices will continue to rise and somethings will just be hard to get later. Also if you can swing it, consider getting conversion kits for your pistols. It is something that will turn your 45 or 9mm into a 22. It makes for real cheap practice with the same gun you would use for defense.

Pressure canning on a camp stove.

Almost 20 years ago I found that I could use my camp stove to do some pressure canning. We had a glass top range in our home. That was fine for most things, but it wouldn't bring a pressure cooker up the pressure. What I did was bring in my Coleman propane camp stove. That camp stove would bring a pressure cooker up to full pressure as fast as any gas stove would. One of the benefits I noticed from using this camping stove was I could move the stove where I needed it. if it was a hot day. I could move it to the basement, or even outdoors. This kept most of the kitchen, even the rest of the house, relatively cool on a hot summer day. I have used both propane and gas in our camp stove to can many items. Be careful of using gas indoors. It would need to be well ventilated and indoor use is not recommended. But propane does not offer the same problems. For a gas stove such as dual fuel or white gas outdoor use is really the only consideration. Propane use in a confined area becomes a consideration if you're not able to supply enough oxygen to the room.

If you lose power, are you able to cook a meal? Keeping your camp stove accessible would allow you to a least heat up a meal for your family.

Canning in the heat of summer

Years ago we used to have a glass topped stove. For most things, it worked just fine. But I found that it was difficult to get a pressure cooker up to pressure to can vegetables or meat. One of the ways I dealt with this is I used our camping stoves. I could do this either indoors or outdoors. I had a kitchenette set up in our basement with a sink, counter tops, tables, cabinets and just didn't have a refrigerator or stove. So I brought my propane camp stove to the basement and used it to bring my pressure cooker up to pressure. It worked great and kept the heat out of the kitchen. Ive even done this outside in my back yard on the picnic table. Just find a spot where the wind wont be a problem with the flame.

There is currently more talk on the internet news sites about drought and food shortages around the world. Effected areas I have read a little about are China and parts of South America. Seems this would concern us in the USA as well. Not so much that we are having a drought but because of import and export. I hear rumblings that the cost of grains are going to go up again.

Also H5N1 is still rumbling around out there. China and Indonesia are still dealing with this in a big way. I hear the CDC says its only a few mutations from being easily transmitted human to human. Ive been hearing this for quite a spell now, but that doesn't make it any less so. It just give people more time to study and prepare.

If you don't have your supply of grains or items that depend on grain, now may be a good time to get started. Its never to late to get started until it really is to late. Think of the parable of the Ten Virgins. The five that kept their oil full were allowed in. The foolish five that wasted time were not allowed in. Yet at anytime before the Bride Groom came and the doors were locked they could have filled their lamps and gained entry as well. Also think of what the the five foolish virgins did. They asked the wise virgins to share with them and what was the wise virgins response? They didn't share did they? There are plenty of other parables and not all need come from the scripture to be correct. Think of the grasshopper and the ant.

There are many things transpiring around the world to upset our way of life. This post isn't meant as a news post. There may be some of those in the future. But it is a recommendation to fill your oil lamps. There are many places online that sell bulk grains. Just do a search. Also make sure you never leave the grocery store with out at least one item to add to your food storage. Make it a rule to live by.

Do you have a way to stay warm in prolonged cold? How about light or a way to cook simple meals? I think these are all worth discussing in my next post. For now I need to get Cheryl to Rehab.
Adios

Below is a copy of the email i sent to my friends... some here may find it useful.

Good morning brothers and sisters below is a post from a Website I frequent. If you buy or keep Gold Or Silver this is an add that ran in the Smithsonian Magazine.

They are currently out of the gold coins and all years of the silver except 2009 and they are limiting 2009 to one per household . But at $12.50 it’s a great deal. That covers shipping and insurance as well. The company is 1st American reserve. Spot right now is 12.53. to buy from a dealer there would be mark up beyond that. its only one coin but still it’s a silver coin

Hope this is info you can use

Bro Mark Murray
http://mark-thespot.blogspot.com/

Appearing in an advertisement in the January 09 issue of Smithsonian magazine is an offer for a 2009 $12.50 ASE- limit one per household. Offer made by 1st American Reserve. The offer includes a free five year newsletter subscription and a free Baush and Lomb numismatic loup.

Or you can get the same fee offers if you buy a 2009 $5 gold American Eagle for $80.00.

No shipping fees listed.

Vault Verification: ASMTHNC0109 Call 1-888-324-2646

Keeping fit should be part of preparedness

If the stresses of the day have you down, what are you doing about it? One of my suggestions is to work off your frustrations, depressions, anxieties, fears, what have you. Its easy to say that a body in motion tends to stay in motion. But that really is the truth. No matter where you are when it comes to physical fitness I can tell you that life feels better the more you move. For us couch potatoes I found the best and easiest method to get back into a habit is to schedule it. What ever works best for you. For my self I like early mornings. That is my time. No one interrupts it as I wont let them. I take an hour each morning and do what ever program I've set up for myself.

Your programs can be what ever you choose. I don't run yet but when my weight hits the 200 lb mark I will start. Thats a goal i set for myself. Im almost there. For now I ride a stationary bike. ( a Schwinn airdyne) I also do resistance and body weight exercises. I mix these up doing one type one day and another type the next.

Riding the bike to nowhere can get boring so learn to spice it up a bit. Some folks watch TV while riding. My self? I like putting on the ear buds and playing fast past music and just zoning out to a beat that is about 130 to 150 bpm. I down load a lot of it from http://www.djsteveboy.com/mixes.html. its free and easy.

I think that you will find that being fitter gives you a better out look on life. Not to mention more stamina. So what can you do for better fitness? Here is a short list to get some ideas flowing. Go for a walk, start slow after a few days pick up the pace. Walk around the block, walk in the park, walk at the mall, or on you treadmill. Run, ride a bike or stationary bike, lift weights, use rubber tubing for resistance if you don't like weights. Do body weight exercises, push ups, burpees, squats and lunges. Situps and crunches are great for the abs and the hip flexors. Use a fitness ball, do yoga or pilates, rent or buy some tae bo disks or tapes. SPEED vacuum, what ever winds your binder.

In any kind of emergency being fit wont hurt and most often will be a help. Wether you need to evacute a store because of a fire or shooting or just dealing with sick children. Life happens, its easier to deal with when your stronger mentally and physically.

Cold

Its been cold here lately. At 4:00pm it currently 3 degrees. What do you keep in your car for a cold weather travel kit? I have a Rubbermaid container in my trunk that has a spare coat, gloves and hat, a blanket, candles matches and butane lighters. as well as some small tuna can sized heaters. Also i keep a small first aid kit and a rechargeable battery and air compressor combo that can jump start my car or inflate a tire as well as a snow shovel. When my kids were home I would never let them travel in the car during winter with out hat gloves/mittens and coat. Even if they didn't wear them they at least would have them available if the car broke down and the cold became an issue. Years ago outside of Aspen Colorado i was first on the scene of an accident in the mountains. A Volks wagon beetle had run through the guard rail and was spinning on its top. One occupant was out side the car wandering around the other was inside semi contiouse. Being late fall i had to crawl into the car and wrap my blanket around the victim and actually get in with him to help keep him warm while my fellow traveler flagged down a semi and used a CB to call for help. This was the mid 70's so no cells phone then. Keeping this guy still and warm was a priority. Having some basic gear with even just a blanket proved to be very helpful.
I cant say how many times ive jumped stranded motorist, or shoveled out myself or another stuck vehicle.

Winter is about half over but February and early March can be our snowiest months. If you dont have an emergency kit in your vihicle please consider putting one together. Throw in a few protien bars or energy bars, even a small tin to melt snow in so you can drink.

In the summer time you could change out a few items for more appropriate items. Like water, crackers, cookies, things that dont melt, Keep the blanket it could come in handy for things like shock. Or just every day warmth MN summer can be cool especially in damp weather. dont forget a poncho or other rain gear.

Just a few ideas to keep your minds working on preps

God Bless

computer is back up

Having back ups is great. One of the benefits is I didn’t have to try and recreate email addresses. All my book marks were there. I even re-installed all my programs. It was still a bit time consuming, but not like the old days that seemed to take me a week or more to get everything back to where I was. Now i have a clean faster computer. Its not that cluttered yet. I would certainly recommend backing up your computer and reformatting the hard drive periodically.