Rain, Rain, Go Away!

I was going to write about getting medical dental care, but then, the rain started!
Not a little rain, but A LOT!

A train was swept off the tracks not too far from where I am:

It is a mess all over!  

                                                                                                                               
Here is a nearby bridge we have to cross to get to Joplin;

Yes, there is a bridge in that picture!

So, we are a bit stuck right now. Bill can't get to work, Tina can't get to the store.
And a new storm is moving in, with ice, sleet and snow!

Tina has made some preps. Water storage. Just in case the water lines freeze.
We have plenty of dry goods (groceries) and canned goods. Even have a few treats left from Christmas!
We were lucky that no tornadoes were spawned here by the storm. Some scary micro-bursts in the area at the height of the storm, but other than some trees that lost limbs, we had no damage.

I have seen on the news that several places got the same storms that we did as they headed east and and north. I hope all are staying safe and are prepping for the next series of stores that will be coming through!

Wind Storm Aftermath

An ill wind blows no good.

Indeed, it doesn't.
At the height of the storm last night, part of one of the goat houses collapsed.
Unfortunately, that was the goat house that Ninas, Neala, Nola and Champagne and Gabby were spending the night in.
When it collapsed, it landed on little Neala.
By the time we got outside and got the goats out, Neala was dead.
I spent most of the night crying.
That little doeling had endeared herself to everyone here.
She was a delightfully friendly and affection kid, always eager to jump in a lap and nuzzle. She loved to cuddle and was our "living stuffed animal" , as she would trot in the house and plop herself on the couch to cuddle with me or anyone else that was sitting there anytime the back door was left open.
I will miss her so much.

Neala was so precious. I will miss my little girl goat.

Well, That Didn't Last Long....

The sunshine this morning? All gone.
That weather front moving across the country apparently snuck in just enough to bring us a windstorm...which equals a sandstorm here.
Check it out:

Yes, the sky is BROWN.

Looking down the street. Normally there are mountains in view!

So, I am battening down the hatches here to ride it out!

Take care everyone in the storms path!

Storms

The storms in the Midwest have been my focus this week. I have been glued to the tv watching the news coverage and at my computer getting updates.
I used to live in Joplin and have several friends there. I left around 3 years ago to move to Beaumont, but I have stayed in touch via phone and computer.
I watched the news coverage in dismay...so much damage, so many deaths. A business I had worked at...leveled. The school my kids went to...gone.My old neighborhood...wiped off the map.
It took a few days, but friends back in Joplin finally let me know they were okay. WHEW!!! I do have one friend I haven't been able to locate, but I am optimistic, as where she lives was not in the path.

The tragedy in Joplin is still unfolding. Many people are still missing. Homes and businesses destroyed.
I can barely imagine what the people there are going through.
My family went through a few tornadoes while we lived there, but nothing of the magnitude of last Sundays storm.

So, I know from experience that when those sirens go off, there is damn little you can do other than dive into a basement, a bathtub, a closet and hold on for dear life.

One thing that has not been addressed is the lead in and around Joplin. The entire city was once considered one of the worst EPA clean-up areas. So much lead in the very soil, that the EPA had people go in to scrap the topsoil off the yards, put down a special cloth to stabilize the remaining soil and then trucked in *safe* soil to cover over yards and parks and schoolyards, etc. I imagine the EPA will be making a return trip as Joplin is rebuilding to test soil and take precautionary measures.

Anyway, if you pray, pray for the people in Joplin. If you don't pray, at least send good thoughts their way.

Dust, Dust Everywhere!

Yesterday we had high winds here.
High winds + desert sand = LOTS of dust!
Yes, windows and doors were kept shut, but that doesn't matter out here in the desert!
My screened in front porch has about 1/2 inch to 3/4 of an inch of dust coating everything.
Every surface in the house has dust on it. I know when I vacuum that the vacuum will be filled with dust after the first, second and third pass through the living room and den. It took 3 paper towels to get all the dust off the t.v. screen this morning.
There is even dust coating the glass shelves inside the china cabinet! (And the doors were firmly shut)
Just another hurdle in housekeeping in desert climes...
The temperature also dropped down yesterday as the winds howled. The goats and chickens hunkered down in their respective quarters for the duration of the storm.The hens, bless 'em, still managed to produce 5 eggs in spite of the adverse conditions. Mama Gabrielle goat also managed to produce milk, although she was none too happy about being milked during a wind storm!

The winds died down, though, and this morning the sun is shining, the hens are happily clucking away and the goats are trotting around the yard.
I have a lot of cleaning to do, and hopefully, I can get through it without sneezing my head off!
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Yesterday, the Girl wanted to bake bread.
I gave her a simple recipe, which she followed--pretty much. The results were quite good. She was so proud of her accomplishment that this morning she wrapped up some of her bread to take to school to share!
She made two loaves of regular bread, and then I showed her how to roll out dough, spread butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and walnut pieces on it and roll it up to bake as a sweet bread for breakfast. When it came out of the over, I brushed butter on that loaf and dusted it with confectioners sugar.That's the bread she took to share.
Best part of the experience (for me) was when she stopped sampling her creation long enough to say "You know, bread you make yourself just tastes SO much better!"
Yes, yes it does!

Did YOU Prepare For Winter Storms?

The whole country is in the grip of Ol' Man Winter and I see news story after news story about folks getting stranded in their cars, leaving freezing homes to shelter at centers set up by their city, etc.

 Pictures of grocery store cleaned out by people desperately trying to buy supplies at the last minute are all over the 'Net.

What did your local grocery store look like?

I didn't go to the store...had plenty of food and water here and had plenty of things to do before the storm hit.
I am in El Paso and we have had black-outs, water mains bursting and natural gas shortages here, along with pipes freezing, fires, etc. to keep the city busy.
None of the above has affected my household yet and I am holding onto hope that we won't be affected.
BUT...before the storm hit, I prepared.
First and foremost, actually listen to your local weather report or look it up online. Forewarned is fore-armed for whatever comes your way!
Two days before the cold front hit, I washed and dried all the extra blankets we had in storage and placed them in the various bedrooms for easy access.
I put a flashlight beside everyones bed on the night stands.
I placed candles around the house in locations I thought would be appropriate.I put a pack of matches in each location as well!
I put extra straw in the goat pens and chicken coop so the livestock could stay warm.
I did buy a couple of extra bags of charcoal for the grill and positioned the grill on the back patio just in case we ended up having to cook on it.
Although we have plenty of stored water, I bottled up more---just in case.
In case the power went out, I put a cooler on the back patio near the door so I could put frozen foods or refrigerated food in it if need be.
Baked some bread and cookies in case we lost our gas.
Made sure all household members had ample sweaters, sweatshirts and long sleeved shirts clean and ready. Ditto for gloves and hats and socks.

By the time the snow started to fall here, I felt that I had done everything I could with my resources to prepare. We have stayed warm and well fed, as has our livestock.

Look at the word PREPARE.
PRE means "in advance of"....
We should all PREpare for situations we are forewarned about.
The economy is bad, so we should all PREpare for the possibility of losing employment by paying off debt and saving a *safety cushion* of funds "just in case".
A storm is coming so we should all PREpare for the possibility that we may lose electricity, gas and water.
If you have minimal resources, prepare as best you can...even some preparation is better than none!
Stay warm!

SNOW DAY!!!!

Normally, snow in El Paso and the surrounding desert region is a *dusting*. Pretty to look at, but nothing to get excited about as it vanishes within a few hours.

The picture above was the last snow storm we had. It stayed on the mountains for almost a day and a half before all traces vanished. As you can see, it had already retreated from the desert valley.

Yesterday evening, real snow started. Fat wet flakes that looked determined to set up housekeeping and stay for a much longer time! It snowed for most of the late evening and night as we got hit with the same storm system that is roaring across the rest of the US right now.

So last night, it looked a bit different outside...

And then this morning....

I know, I know...doesn't look like much to you folks in the Midwest or back East....especially the North East, but this is a HUGE snowfall for El Paso!
Schools are closed. Gov't offices---closed. A lot of businesses---closed.

My goats are horribly confused by all this white stuff sticking around, as are the chickens. I added extra straw to the goat pens and the chicken coop last night so all the critters could snuggle down and stay warm.
I gave all the animals an extra ration of feed this morning and added some fat to it...gotta fuel the internal furnace!
I did all the common sense moves last night...left faucets on a trickle so the pipes wouldn't freeze....but I bottled up extra water---just in case. Got extra blankets out in case the power went out on us. Positioned a picnic cooler near the back door. If the power abandons us, I can fill it halfway with snow, put in refrigerated items and keep them from going bad.

Since the schools are closed, Boy and Girl are home today. They greeted the news of the school closed with the expected squeals and shouts of joy, then promptly went back to bed, lol!
I am sure I can find things for them to do to keep them busy once the get up.
Hope the rest of you are making it through this storm okay!

Emergency Drills

Every family out there should do this at least once a month.
Pick a day. Weekday, weekend, doesn't matter.
Now, turn off your power.
That's right, go switch those breakers OFF.
Leave them off for 24 hours.
If it is not possible for you to do this, because of where you live or other reasons, sit down with a pad of paper and imagine your house hold without power.
Better yet, stretch it out and imagine being in that situation for a week...two weeks...a month.

In your location, what are your priorities?
If in a cold climate or season, is heating covered?
Do you have a way to cook?
What about water? For cooking, bathing, etc.?
How long will your food supplies last?

If you have kids, did you stash some games and activities away from them? (Board games, coloring books and crayons, other *low-tech* activities)
Did you stash away some amusements for yourself?

If you are doing your drill *for real*, take notes.
I thought *I* had everything covered until I did this drill last month.
I discovered I had not stashed enough *amusements* for myself.
I had my books, but actual *activities* were not present.
I went to Goodwill and a couple of other thrift stores and added some *fun* things to my preps.
Scrabble game. Monopoly. Yahtzee. I already had a chess board.
I even tossed some coloring books, colored pencils and crayons into the mix!
It may seem frivolous, but boredom is a bad thing!

Other Emergency Drills good for families:
Set your alarm for 3am.
When it goes off, see how long it takes you to get your family outside with your BOBs, your FAK and other essentials ready to go.
In cases of emergency evacuation, you may only have a few minutes to grab and go. (Think Hurricane Ike, Hurricane Katrina, tsunamis, earthquakes., fire, etc.)
It is imperative that you be able to *grab and go* in under 10 minutes. Next time, try for 8 minutes and so on. Cut your time to 5 minutes if possible.

Most evacuation plans will involve you taking your vehicle.
I keep an *Emergency Kit* in my car.
Since I drive a small van, I have a rubbermaid tote in the very back
In it:
Number 10 cans of: wheat, rice, beans, oats, flour. (1 each)
10 baby food jars with spices.
10 baby food jars with my *powders*.
10 baby food jars with teas and herbs.
1 pair sneakers
6 pairs socks
2 pair jeans
4 tee shirts (2 long sleeve, 2 short sleeve)
4 pairs underwear
6 candles
2 lighters, 5 boxes of matches
4 gallons water
Small first Aid Kit

I also have an Emergency Car Kit that includes 2 cans of *Fix a Flat*, a set of jumper cables, and other car necessities.

If you are able, you can put together a kit and store it in your trunk. I suggest putting it in a Rubbermaid tote for organizations sake.

Long time between posts

Reason for the long hiatus was Hurricane Ike, various work related things and I lost my blasted account info

Hurricane Ike was interesting. I watched with interest the weather reports and warnings leading up to it. I saw people nail plywood up to their windows and dash out of town. And I saw people that really didn't seem to care.
Well, Hurricane Ike blew into town and left it powerless.
Actually, left a damn huge area of South East Texas powerless.

So, we were here without power, no water (the surge contaminated our treatment plant) and limited police protection.
Never fear...I was prepared (of course!)
Approximately 150 gallons of water, properly stored. (2 liter bottles, rinsed out with scalding water, filled with cool water and 5 drops of bleach in each).
BBQ grill and 4 bags of charcoal and 2 bottles of charcoal lighter.
Food, much of it freeze dried or dry canned, plus canned meats.
My nice new shotgun and plenty of ammo.

First things first, I turned off or unplugged all light switches, radios, t.v.s, anything electric.
Then I turned off all the breakers. (More about that later)
Then we proceeded to remove all limbs and branches from the lines behind the house and clean all debris out of the yard.
Then we began on the neighbors yard (he evacuated).
I put a local radio station on to keep track of *official announcements* and whatnot.
Fired up the grill, had a lunch of chicken fajita's.
Dinner that night was hamburgers.
We had a good dinner EVERY night. Good lunches, too.(Pork bbq, steak and baked potatos, ribs, beef stew...some of our menu)
I even managed to bake bread on the grill.
Because the water was bad, even my dogs got bottled water.
I did run out of dog food, but made dog food for the assorted critters that they seemed to like.
The first grocery store to reopen was Mercados (a local hispanic grocery)
I had some cash (memo to self, need to have more cash stashed for emergencies)
Every day I would walk over (it is less than a mile away) and buy just enough for the meal that night. Sort of European style!
We got our power back on the fifth day.
Finding a working ATM or a gas station was almost impossible.The radio was taking calls from people and someone would call in with a breathless report that such-and-such gas station was open...within 5 minutes there would be a line 2 miles long.
So, I walked as much as possible to conserve fuel.
When I did find an open gas station, I got fueled up and went home and didn't tell a soul about it.
I figured I'd let someone else think they discovered that little gem.
The radio reported SEVERAL house fires due to the power coming back on and the sudden power surge overloaded circuits.
Generators caused several fires as well. One caused the death of a 19 year old girl. She and her boyfriend had bought one, it was dark by the time they decided to fill it and get it going. Because of a bit of rain, they decided to take it into their house to fill it. As the boyfriend started to fill the generator tank, they decided it was too dark in the house to do so safely. So, the girl lit a candle. The flash fire killed her, she was DOA at a local hospital. The young man has severe burns, but will recover.
.
I found that I went into some sort of *hyper-vigilant* state where I could not sleep over 2 hours at a time. I wasn't tired through all of it, though. When everything was mostly over, I slept a full 8 hours without trouble.

When the power came back on, I saw the neighbors lights go on, so I turned on the main breakers and then each individual breaker, one at a time.
Yeah, I am that cautious.

When all was said and done, I had gone through:
3 bags of charcoal, 1 and a half bottles of lighter.
100 gallons of water.
8 pounds of flour (for bread, flatbread and tortillas)
10 emergency candles.
8 *C* batteries (for the radio)
1 roll of Rolaids.(I get heartburn and usually combat it with a small glass of milk at bedtime, no milk, so I relied on Rolaids)

The other things I noticed;
Despite the fancy cars in my area and the nice houses and the women with the *big hair*, this area of Texas came across as a Third World country during the days after Ike. Very thin veneer of civilization glossing over the whole mess. There were more reports of neighbors robbing neighbors than of neighbors helping neighbors. People turned all their pets out in the streets to fend for themselves. Some people took the opportunity to settle old scores. When FEMA did show up, the lines were 3 to 4 HOURS long to get some water and ice. Fights broke out as people tried to cut in line. Some people got in line EVEN THOUGH THEY DID NOT NEED THE SUPPLIES!
I constantly heard cries of "FEMA needs to do this or FEMA needs to do that", or "The government KNEW this was coming, why didn't they prepare better?"
WHAT!?
Everyone that lives in this area, everyone who watched the news, listened to a radio, picked up a paper or talked to another human being in the entire country KNEW Ike was coming and it was going to be bad!
Why didn't people in the areas about to be hit prepare themselves?
My first answers as to why they didn't: Laziness, *welfare mentality*, conditioned response due to being raised by a *nanny state*.

Here's something to think about...I drove past that line of cars that were waiting for FEMA supplies...what I saw in line...Loads of fancy SUVs, sweet little BMWs, newer Cadillacs, gorgeous new pick-ups....so don't DARE tell me these people cannot afford to put back some water and food for emergencies.
You know who I did NOT see in line?
Damn few Mexicans or Hispanics, for the most part. No members of the large Vietnamese community we have here were in that line, either. The faces I saw were about 70% black, 25% white and 5% other (if you live in Texas, you know what I mean...you just can't identify a few folks here). The 5% looked probably Hispanic, but most of them were loaded up in the same vehicles as blacks or whites.
The Hispanic community and the Vietnamese community took care of their own for the most part.

All in all, I was disgusted with the *gimme* mentality of the majority of people that I encountered...and am still running into.

So...I have replenished my water storage, bought a couple bags of charcoal and tucked it away in the tool shed and cleaned up most of the damage done during the storm. I view my experiences as lessons learned about the practical and about the nature of people.

What storm supplies should YOU have?
You need different things in different geographic areas.
If I were in Montana instead of Texas, I would put more emphasis on supplies to keep me warm.
Extra blankets, battery operated hand and foot warmers with mucho extra batteries. Hats, gloves, etc would all be major components of my emergency *bug in* kit.
Of course, water is my first priority--always!
If you do not have a wood stove, look into emergency kerosene heaters (some of which you can cook on) to add to your emergency supplies.
So, in colder climes, first priority--water, followed very closely by warmth, then food. I am assuming you already have shelter. If you do not, invest in a tent. Not a China-Mart cheapie, a decent tent that will actually withstand your local weather variables.

I will be doing, at the very least, a weekly post from here on out.