Are You Tired of Being Prepared?

Hello Everybody, Frank here.

Do you know what it's like to be prepared, on edge, not knowing what is coming next, all the time, for days on end? Is that what it's going to be like in the near future if some collapse scenario happens in our country and our world? Maybe the last week has been good practice, I don't know. But it has given us something to think about.

We have lost count of how many days in the last few weeks have brought rain and storms our way, and the last few days have been particularly taxing and tiring. Our rain gauge almost ran over on Saturday at 4.8", then yesterday and last night added another 2.6". While I was still up last night at 3:30am listening to yet another downpour, I looked out towards the garden to see several small rivers of water running rapidly across the ground. There are a number of plants out there that look a little worse for the wear, among many small clusters of oak leaves and twigs. We will have to wait a few days to see how many casualties the garden yields. Today we have light breezes, sunshine and 74* to enjoy all the day long. The songbirds are singing, and for the most part, the animals are resting. We're all tired.

Here are a few glimpses of the storms that have come our way recently. I didn't get clips of all of them, but when we started getting round after round of continuous weather, I began a collection of sorts. Most of them are from yesterday, in sequential order.

Saturday, 9th

Sunday morning, 10th

Sunday morning

Sunday after lunch

Sunday late afternoon

Sunday evening

There is still lots of runoff all over the place today, along with lots of standing water, but tomorrow we are forecast another beautiful day. That's good, because we still need to be able to work outside and get the pig pen ready for Friday's arrivals. But, guess what? Starting Wednesday, we have a chance of rain and thunderstorms everyday for the foreseeable future. We will have to see what Friday brings before we set off on a pig trek.

We are grateful that we didn't have any storm damage besides the loss of more topsoil from the garden. There are folks around that have had a much more difficult time of it than we. I know that everyone in this region is grateful for the respite from the storms. We are all tired.

We prepare everyday for the future. I guess that's what everybody does, isn't it? But I think the vast majority of folks don't give a whole lot of thought to any serious changes coming their way. I've read about the effects on soldiers that are constantly under the threat of attack. Yes, I served in the military, but I was never stationed anywhere that attack was a constant possibility. Being overseas, the military allowed certain leniency when it came to numbing the senses, and there was always a club open somewhere.

For the last four or five days here, it's been a constant preparation for severe weather, or the threat of severe weather. Many of you will remember the storms in Moore, Oklahoma a year or two back. Well, Moore had those same threats again, day after day after day. If you remember right, Moore was the place where a group of kids were killed during a storm in an elementary school. That's got to be devastating on those folks, to look at a radar screen and see a tornado warning coming directly at your area.


As mentioned earlier, we are tired. Worn out. Up till 3:00 and 4:00 each morning, waiting for our turn to have the storms come and pass. But, we never lost electricity right here, which means we could watch the National Weather Service on our computers, listen to the National Weather Service on the radio, and listen to the ham radio storm chasers do what they do. It's ironic how people get different thrills. Some folks like whacking a golf ball, others like knitting, and then there is that peculiar group, and I say peculiar with the highest respect, that enjoy chasing storms to help keep the public informed. Each to their own I guess.

Most of us know there is going to come a day when the electricity will either be off or intermittent. We won't be able to check that radar screen, or listen to the local talking head on the TV box. Most radio stations are going to be down anyway. I wonder how not having all of these features we take for granted is going to effect

our mental capabilities when they're gone? What's it doing to be like when there is no Doppler radar that measures different wind directions? What's it going to be like when you dial 911 and no one answers? And heaven forbid, what will happen when you want to order take out food delivered, and the phones don't work? What if it's dark? There is thunder and lightening all around you. Then during one of those bolts of lightening you see two human type figures standing in your yard. What cha gonna do? Phones don't work. There is nobody coming, because nobody knows except you. What are you going to do? Use your hands to make a 'T' for timeout like in a football game? You gonna sit down, put your face in your hands and cry? What are you going to do?

All of a sudden you hear someone kicking in your front door, about two seconds later, someone is kicking in your back door. You hear a loud boom and wood splinters fly through the air. What cha gonna do? Are you going to pretend like this is a TV show? You know, one of those reality type shows. Well, get prepared for a new dose of reality, because your life is going to change forever, and crying is not going to do you any good.

Folks, that scenario I just described, or one similar to it, happens everyday, multiple times around our world. Just because we live in an imaginary town called Pleasantville doesn't mean that the Big Bad Wolf ain't gonna come knocking at your door someday. So, what if a tornado was coming toward your house? Have you got a plan? Have you prepared? Or have you got your head stuck in the sand? What if that tornado is those two guys standing out in your yard? What are you going to do? We will never know what we are going to do until we are put in a dire situation. Some of the best trained firemen just can't do it. Some of the best trained soldiers, when push comes to shove, just can't do it. You need to practice. You need to have a plan. Then you need to practice some more.

We live in tornado alley. Like folks that live in hurricane country, earthquake, wildfire, blizzard or tsunami, or whatever flavor of disaster

you have in your neighborhood, we all know that one day we have the potential for that Wolf to be at our door. We should all know that sometimes that disaster is walking on two feet. So you're tired? You're tired of being prepared? You want a break? Well, think about something as small as this. Some people say dead bolts don't work. If it gives you two to three extra seconds of time, realistically think what you can do with two or three extra seconds of preparation. Long time, isn't it? Every step that you prepare gives you more time to implement your plan. Every second, every extra second that you have might be the difference between life and death for you and your family.

Am I tired? Yes. Am I exhausted? Yes. Are my doors locked? Yes. Do I know where my instruments of defense are situated? Yes. Does all this preparation mean that I am going to be able to do what is necessary?

We just won't know until that day comes. But do I have a storm cellar? You bet I do. Is it cleaned out of all the spider webs and all crawling things on a regular basis? Yes, it is. I've been in it multiple times, but only once have I been in it because I had to. We're all tired ladies and gentlemen. But don't give up. The Wolf will be at the door sooner than you think. Take advantage of the sunny days, but prepare for the dark, rainy ones, because you do not want to look out your window when the lightening is flashing and see two folks standing in your yard.

We'll talk more later, Frank

Vehicle Emergency Pack

We have had emergency packs in our vehicles for quite some time and it is time to take inventory and update a few things. I have felt the need to get very serious about being prepared away from home.

We learned a lot in Alaska about the need for emergency, survival equipment. The remote villages we lived in required travel by plane, sometimes in a small 207 that would seat six people. During the winter you were not allowed on the plane without adequate gear for warmth - just in case the plane went down. These experiences brought survival gear into the realm of everyday provisions that we wouldn't think of being without.

My emergency pack is a basic backpack. If I ever need to walk, I want to be able to carry my supplies with me as comfortably as possible. That means on my back, not over my shoulder or in my hand.





The current inventory contains:  
Ziplock bag of old peanuts that need to be replaced

Good pair of tennis shoes (this will give me 2 pairs of shoes with the ones I will be wearing)
2 emergency ponchos
Small package of rope
2 emergency blankets with green on one side and silver on the other
Basic first aid kit that includes: Bandaids, gauze, triple antibiotic ointment, hydrocortizone
Roll of toilet paper in ziplock bag
Partial roll of paper towels
3 carabiners

Inside the car are items that would be added to the backpack if I ever needed to leave it and walk somewhere. These items include: 
Small maglight
Flashing hazard warning light (the kind you would put out on the road to warn on coming traffic)
Jacket with hood (this is my car jacket, it's in there year round)
Light rain coat with light insulation and hood
Lighter

I always carry a variety of items in my purse that would be useful in an emergency situation.

Gerber multi purpose tool
Small maglight
Lighter
Very small first aid kit
Tylenol
Carmex
Cough drops
Rolaids
Bandanna
Knife
Whistle
Extra charged cell phone battery

I work about 30 miles from home. In the remote possibility that something happens and I could not drive home, or at least part of the way home, we have several contingency plans that we hope would result in my safe arrival. We have studied maps, driven the possible routes and made ourselves as familiar with the terrain as much as possible.

With winter coming on, I have felt the need this year to upgrade the supplies in my pack. I am adding the following supplies:

New bag of mixed nuts
2 freeze dried meals to add water, let soak and eat
Empty peanut butter jar to soak food or filter dirty water before sterilizing
Bandanna and old towels for stage one water filtering and whatever need arises
Binoculars 

Steripen for sterilizing water    2 bottles of water (chlorinated from the tap)
Emergency whistle with compass 
Pair of pants
Long-sleeved and short-sleeved t-shirts
2 pairs of socks
All purpose hat

As I went over the contents of my backpack, I realized that since Frank had installed the Alinco VHF/UHF mobile radio in my

vehicle, I no longer had a radio that I could disconnect from the car and take with me if I had to walk. I felt that this was a big oversight on my part. Initially we were using the Wouxun handheld VHF/UHF radios in the vehicles with a battery eliminator. That would allow us to remove the radio, insert a battery pack and antenna that were kept in the vehicle, and we would be good to go. I really like the Alinco for a mobile radio. We are able to communicate clearly for a much farther distance when I go to work. Now I will be adding a handheld radio to my pack for emergency communications if I am on foot.

Communications equipment in my pack will include:
A handheld radio
Extra battery
A short stubby antenna
A 9 inch antenna 
If I am walking with a radio clipped to my belt, the stubby is better; I would be less apt to bend and/or break the antenna. If I am stationary or trying to receive a signal and the stubby is inadequate, I can change to the longer antenna.

Mental preparation is key to survival. We have been preparing for a long time, but that doesn't mean we think of everything. Like the new radio in the vehicle. It has been there for several months, but it did not occur to me that it would leave me without radio contact if I were on foot. I am grateful that I have been getting this nudge to upgrade my pack, otherwise I don't know how long it would have been before I realized I needed a handheld radio. It may have been too late. This is one instance I am glad to discover the inadequacy now. There are sometimes that failure is not an option. 

Frank has known for a long time that communications will be a key component in a survival situation. There are some basic, simple steps that can be taken to increase your ability to communicate with your loved ones, as well as listen to what is happening in your area should a disaster or collapse occur. Anyone can broadcast on any

frequency, including ham radio frequencies, in an emergency if there are no other means of communication available. The ability to prepare for and survive some of the situations coming our way may hinge on our ability to hear what is coming. If you have a group of people in your area that can communicate via radio in a grid down, collapse situation, it may save your life. You may be able to know if there is danger heading your way. You may be able to warn someone else if danger is heading their way. It is another layer of preparation that may make all the difference in the world. Radio communications will also bring at least some information, whether it is local, national, or worldwide, in a time when all information is cut off. Not knowing anything about what is happening when we are used to massive amounts of information at the click of a button will be a huge change for all of us, and a difficult one, at best.

I challenge you to give some serious thought to your situation and prepare for a way to get home on foot. The day may never arrive when you need it, and I pray that is the case. But, Frank has a good saying that he has picked up along the way. "I would rather be a prepared fool than an unprepared fool." It may mean all the difference in the world to those you love.

Until next time - Fern