WELCOME TO OUR WEEKLY EDITION FOR FRIDAY JULY 3rd, 2020

WE WELCOME ALL OUR NEW READERS, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO HAVEN’T PREPPED YET OR MAY HAVE JUST STARTED THINKING ABOUT IT.

If you are reading this page for the first time please read our ABOUT section to avoid any confusion. Here’s the short version. If you are looking for babes with guns, camo commandos or zombie hunters:       LOOK ELSEWARE!

        We put together plain, simple information on how to prep for storms, disasters and other possible threats so the average Ann and Andy can prepare with the least cost in time, space, effort and money

We are going to post two simple points in hopes they will be clearly understood.

 AT NO TIME DO WE AVOCATE ILLEGAL VIOLENCE AGAINST ANY INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP, BUT WE CLEARLY SUPPORT THE USE OF FORCE TO DEFEND HOME, FAMLIY AND COMMUNITY. IF YOU CAN’T UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE IN THAT, THEN YOU ARE IN THE WRONG PLACE!

 

WITHIN THE REASONABLE LIMITS OF YOUR TIME, EFFORT, SPACE AND MONEY, WE HIGHLY SUGGEST OUR READERS STOCK UP AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. BETWEEN RIOTS, UNREST AND A POSSIBLE SECOND WAVE OF COVID-19 NO ONE CAN SAY IF THEY WILL BE ABLE TO GO TO A STORE, OR IF IT WILL STILL BE THERE TO GO TO.

 

GETTING BACK TO THINGS

This will be a simple edition as we are just getting back into the swing of things. We still hold to the idea that when all the “glitz and glamour” type prepping and all the “camo clad” survivalists have had their moment, it is the simple, and basic prepping that saves the day.

I don’t tell others what to do or how to live, but for me I feel I “prep to live” and not “live to prep”.  There is nothing about my prepping that calls out “Look at me. Look at me” The average person could look in my garage, work shop, kitchen and probably even pantry without ever thinking that I might be a prepper. I like it like that. Outside of family and key friends, no one needs to know. How you decide is your business.  We try to provide the best ideas at the least cost in money, time, space and effort.

BASICS: WHAT HAVE YOU GOT TO LOSE?

Whatever the event that disrupts your life is, be it short or long, you must survive the initial effect. All the prepping in the world is not going to help you if the tornado, earthquake, flood, hurricane, gas explosion, or any other event catches you at ground zero and you are killed. If you do survive at ground zero, however, prepping may help you to stay alive and get out of the area.

Prepping pays off the best if you are in between the total destruction of a ground zero and where all aspects of the grid are operating normally and cannot for a number of reasons just leave and go somewhere else for at least 48-72 hours.

So the question is, given that you must stay at your house, apartment or other dwelling for at least 48 hours what normal aspects of the grid do you stand to lose and how do you replace them?

Electricity is usually the first to go. That takes with it lighting, heating/cooling, refrigeration, communication (Computer, TV, radio, cell phone) and in many cases, cooking. (Stove, microwave, can opener, etc.)  You will quickly find how we are the most dependent on this least dependable item. Do you have even one working flashlight you can find?

Next, water including sewage may be cut off for a number of reasons, including lack of power or the water may be contaminated. Anything to drink at your place?

Food is affected in your home because of lack of power for cooking and refrigeration, also by not being able to get to a store that has power to be able to sell you anything. How much non-perishable food do you have that is ready to eat? Do you have an alternate means of cooking?

Your dwelling may be damaged causing some problems with your shelter.

You may have no way to contact medical personnel, and they may not be able to get to you. Also the medical facilities will be dealing with the worst cases first. As bad as your cuts, scrapes, spraints and even a broken bone may be, others are in worst shape. You may have to fall back on your own first aid.

Trash and human waste may not be dealt with normally for some time. You need to know what to do.

When the recovery starts some stores may open on a limited cash basis as the machines may still be down. Do you have cash on hand?

Last  but never least, police protection may be gone from your area for some time. Do you have a plan, be it passive (barriers, locks) or active ( pepper spray, firearms) for your defense?

So then, what have you got to lose?

 

THE BASICS:  PART IV: HAVE AN AWAY PLAN: PART I

The odds are that the average Ann and Andy will be away from their home when an event hits.

That is because most of us have to earn a living so we will be either commuting to or from, or be at work. If we aren’t doing that then we are shopping, out with friends, at movies, sporting events, etc., or we are taking the kids to and from school or be at some school event. We might even be on vacation somewhere.

I know. That conflicts with the PC image of the “prepper/survivalist” huddling in their home a step away from their bunker. It also happens to be reality.

There are exceptions, of course, where the event can be seen coming (the slow train wreck) such as icy roads, heavy snow, wind or rain storm or tropical storm, school is canceled and your boss might actually let you stay home (LOL! Yeah, right). But many events hit without warning ( bolt out of the blue)  such as earthquakes, tornados, some flash flooding, power outages, , bridge/highway collapse, landslide, wild fire, terrorist act or other shooting rampage, nuke plant problem, or solar flares. 

Because of this you have to try and plan for the worst case scenario in which your freedom of action is limited by some authority and you have very little gear.

Your freedom of action may be limited by your boss or the company “emergency plan” in general. Many of these are well meaning and quite a few of them are well planned and reasonable. But there is always the bozo who thinks because they are in the boss they know how to deal with that kind of event.

You may also be faced with a “lockdown” situation, especially if you are a student on a campus, or at your child’s school.  Lockdowns can also be put into effect by police for people at work or in stores. Also stores themselves, when faced with a power outage, may “lockdown” to prevent looting or people leaving with items. While this may be illegal, some bozo store manager may not be able to be reasoned with. Any kind of threat or direct action in this case should be used only under life threatening circumstances. As with the boss at work, you have to be careful that your actions don’t come back when the dust settles to bite you on the butt.  As unbelievable as it seems, many people were later punished because of actions they took at the height of Katrina. Again, this is the real world ladies and gentlemen, so forget Hollywood and the movies.

In turn this will mean you can’t get to any kind of emergency bag in your vehicle. You are without your gear. Now what?

First try to assess the situation. What type of event is going on? Is it simple power outage or a solar flare/EMP?  Is it a weather effect? Knowing can give you an idea of how long you may be in lockdown and whether you should just “chill out” for now.

Lack of gear can be handled to some degree depending on the situation. If you are at work you might have been able to have a “lunch box” emergency kit, so you have something to work from. Such a kit, as we will describe in the upcoming articles, can be in a desk drawer or locker.  Where possible you can carry it to work each day as part of your normal “lunch bag”. What you can have depends on the security issues of your firm.

In addition to that are items that can be carried in a pocket or purse. Again we will go into detail about these later, but they could include pepper spray (where legal),mints, gum, antacids, a keychain pill holder with water purification tablets, a mini flashlight, a cough drop tin with a bouillon cube or energy drink mix, a small but sharp knife ( there are numerous styles)  and sandwich baggies for water. Also try to have $20 or so of cash in fives, ones and change on you at all times. I know that’s not easy for all of us.

As far as information, most people have cell phones. The fact that they all would be out would be one warning sign of possibly a major event. Having a mini AM/FM radio in a lunch bag kit is recommended also.

Stores in general and “big box” stores in particular are very bad places to be if the situation is widespread enough and disruptive enough to prevent police protection as they will be the target  ( no pun intended) of looters in a very short time. If you are caught in such a store get away from the front area and any high dollar item areas. If you must hide, go to a janitor’s closet, rest room, or non-fashionable clothes area. It will probably be dark, so you should be relatively safe. But, don’t hesitate to pick up a weapon if you so choose, A crowbar beats nothing if your life is at stake. Also, see if you can find an emergency exit. Be careful however, as looters may be trying to come in or go out that way. The advantage a small shop might have is that it is not worth the looter’s interest at least at first and it may have soda, candy or other food and support items you can buy with your cash.

So you hang in there until the lockdown is lifted and you have your freedom of action again. Now what?  With luck the event is over. If your vehicle is intact and operational and the roads are passable, head home as best you can.  If not, then we will cover some options in Part II.

 

 

 

AFTER THE BASICS:   

ADVANCED: JUST ROUTINE

Once you have reached whatever goal you have set for your prepping, be it 48 hours, two weeks, a month or whatever, you then switch over to maintaining your level.

Water: If you fill containers such as 2 lt. bottles with water, rotate them once a year. In the spring I fill my rain barrels with water from my “non-drinking” supply I have in old kitty litter buckets. I then fill the buckets with the drinking water from the 2 liter soda bottles. The soda bottles are rinsed then refilled with filtered water and a drop of straight bleach (no additives) to give a fresh supply for the year. Regular sealed packs of .5 liter bottles of water are said to be good for at least 5 years.

Food: Eat what you store, store what you eat. Yes, have some special food packs on hand if you can afford them, but try always to stick with regular food you normally eat, or a normal non-perishable form. (We keep a good stock of canned veggies, but generally we get frozen ones for daily use.) Have a restock point for either the item, or the stocks in general. Have a few dollars in the food budget to scoop up a sale such as 5 for $5 pasta or canned goods.

First Aid/Hygiene: Keep “one” ahead on cases of toilet paper and paper towels. When you finish one case you’ll have one on hand as you add another so you always have at least one unopened case if an event hits. Store up hand sanitizer, wipes, trash bags, and other health items. Stick with quality where needed, but use dollar store items where reasonable including gauze pads, tape and bandages.

Put away packs of dollar store batteries and basic 9 LED flashlights all over your home. In short term emergencies they’ll last and in long term ones, use them first.  Don’t forget about decorative outside lights. They can be brought in and used with a dollar store regular battery to make nightlights.

Put aside ten dollars in change, ones and fives if you can each month and tell NO ONE about it.

If you believe in a “passive” defense for your security, check your locks and doors and have plans for bars, or braces in be set up in case of an event. If you go with a more “active” defense, practice with your items (bows, firearms) and keep them legal but ready, along with ammo, cleaning kits etc. Legal means for example, keeping your 12 gauge pump tube at two shells, but know how to unblock it to take five.

Soon you will find that all these little steps become routine and you enhance your survivability.

 

ADVANCED:  SOUNDS GOOD ON PAPER

            There are a number of “prepper/survival” books out there on the market. Of those I have seen and read I have found them to range from excellent to nothing more than a rehash of FEMA guidelines with some political rant thrown in. I will not rate them here, however, as you have to decide for yourself what you think of them.

            What I do want to touch on is how almost off handedly they make their statements about what you should have, specifically when it comes to self-defense. This does not mean their advice is bad, but that it is just unrealistic for many of us.

            For example, one of the books I have here is built around the idea of low cost prepping, but when it gets to self-defense and fire arms it says you should have a pistol, rifle and shotgun. Nothing wrong with that except the cost, ability to actually purchase and own, and personal factors all affect the average individual out there.

            Forgetting for the moment any AR-15 or other similar rifles and sticking with a standard 30-06 deer rifle, a basic name brand shotgun and even just a .22 pistol such as a Ruger, and maybe finding some used at pawn shops, gun shows (while you can) or gun shops, you are still talking about at the least paying out a grand, which doesn’t take in to account the time and money need for various permits, the ammo, magazines ( NO, they are NOT clips!), cleaning kits, slings, possibly cases and other basic accessories. Add to that the cost of traveling to somewhere you can practice with them.

            Then there are the personal aspects to consider. What are your local laws? Are you in a subdivision? Do you have young children? Do you have a significant other who is not comfortable with them, or may totally oppose them? Do you rent? How difficult is it for you to go and practice with your firearms? Would it affect your employment if someone found out you own “guns”?

            It’s easy for the established prepper with a house, land and the bucks to have all the right kind of things in case of a major league SHTF ( ML/SHTF), it’s a damn sight tougher and more frustrating for a young couple in an apartment barely holding on to their jobs to do the same. But they need and deserve to survive as much as any of us so they can help us rebuild our local areas and our country. This is why, although the information in these books is correct, it is of little value to many out there, and like many plans we are told to live with, sounds good on paper.

 

 

 

TOUCAN BILL’S BIRD’S EYE VIEW: KEEP IT HOT FOR NOT A LOT

Another low cost option that is often overlooked in prepping is the standard plug into the cigarette lighter travel mug. I picked up one at the local discount chain for $6 brand new.

But what good is it if the power is out? Well, if you run a generator for even a short time and it has a 12v outlet set up, you can plug in the cup and get hot water. If you have a car battery set up with a cigarette lighter connection you can use that.  (I’ll cover car battery set ups in the Electrical section)

Another possible method which I will be looking into is if you have an exercise bicycle or a regular bike you can put up on blocks or such, you can attach a standard 12v generator for the front wheel that usually powers a headlight. For this purpose the wires will lead to a cigarette lighter outlet instead.  I will be testing the idea that you can “peddle” your way to your hot coffee. LOL!

One suggestion I make here is that you do NOT make the coffee in the travel mug. Use it to heat the water, then pour it into some other mug or cup to make you coffee, tea, hot chocolate, soup or whatever. That way the “heating” mug doesn’t get a flavor to it.

 

PREPPER BEE WISE’S BUZZ WORDS AND PHRASES

LAPS:   This stands for Light As Possible Supplies. It can refer to every piece of gear you put in any kind of bag you may carry, but can specifically cover food. The idea is to get the most out of every ounce of weight you may have to carry in a bounce back or a bug out. I will cover specifics in articles to come.

THE LUNCH BAG KIT

    

 

POOR RICHARD’S CORNER: THE “LUNCH BAG” KIT

            This is your basic “ace up your sleeve” kit that can be taken into almost any average work environment and never draw so much as a second look.

            It starts with a simple, average lunch bag, but inside it has the basics (“the seven sisters) for your survival.

1.     Water: Assorted sized zip lock bags for carrying water and other uses, or a collapsible water bag plus water purification tablets.

2.     Food: Mints, gum, energy bars

3.     First Aid: A mini first aid kit with band aids, tape, ointment, and gauze pads. (You can also put in a small tin with aspirins, cold meds, etc.) plus a pack or two of tissues.

4.     Shelter: An emergency poncho along with Para cord from the bracelet.

5.     Alternate Energy: a mini flashlight, a Mylar foil blanket for warmth, a pack of 2 light sticks, a candle, matches, a small plastic pencil sharpener and a disposable lighter.

6.     Money: Some ones, fives and change.

7.     Self Defense: Pepper spray where legal. (A knife would be good, but remember you can’t bring one into work or school.)

8.     Support Gear: A tin box for carrying the items, signaling, and possibly cooking in, a mini AM/FM radio with batteries and ear buds,  a mini multi-tool, (if allowable) and a Para cord bracelet with compass. (Some come with a cutter, striker and whistle.)

            Most of the items fit in the front pockets, leaving you room inside to carry your zip lock bags of water, and a fold-able backpack or a small cloth bag to carry the items in.. 

            Totally discrete, it’s a stealth kit that will give you that extra edge.

 

            If you like what you read here, help us reach others We ask you please to let them know about our blog and. share what we offer if you think others will benefit from it.

Thank You,

Poor Richard and Mama Donna.

OUR FIRST 2020 BLOG POST

TO OUR LOYAL READERS AND ANY NEW ONES

            Welcome to our blog. Forgive the mess as we are NOT very good with computers, blogs and the rest of it. What we do try to be good at is giving you, the Average Ann and Andy the best possible tips on how to prep for emergencies with the least cost in time, space, effort and MONEY!

            So let’s get started!

 

WELCOME TO OUR FIRST EDITION     

A BIT OF WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE’RE ABOUT

            Our goal is to help guide the “Average Ann and Andy” to have a fighting chance in case  some natural or man-made emergency event disrupts their normal living for some period of time.

            We are NOT experts, nor claim to be. We are just plain folk on a budget like you.  (If your budget is “fixed” you are usually broke, LOL!) We’ve seen a few events in our time, learned from them and other sources and know a bit from experience and want to share it all with you. We will present options for you that will cost the least in money, time, space and effort.

            We will NOT present or deal in any political views, radical or racial slants, or any kind of “hate and hurt” positions. While we may from time to time discuss various defensive techniques that will include forms of weapons, these areas will be only a VERY small portion of the information on prepping we will present to you. Or to put it simply, WE DON’T DO CAMO COMMANDOS, MILITAS OR ZOMBIES.  LOL!

            We don’t make a cent off of this, and as of yet have no sponsors or advertisers. If we ever do, they MUST meet our guidelines of having good quality products and services and not flashy junk.

            I don’t intend to say much about us because I feel the message is important, not the messenger and because we don’t do this to make “big money” or as an “ego stroke”. But, since some folks may wonder about my background and such, here goes. Richard P. Maida IS my real name and my wife is Donna. We are real people and do live the way I describe, so we don’t hide behind a phony photo or name.  Here is our “info”.

MINI BIO       Richard P. Maida   (writing as Poor Richard/RPM/Toucan Bill/B.B.Trapp, etc.)   I’m now over 60 and was raised during the Cold War. I had Civil Defense training in high school and later learned Search and Rescue as a member of the Civil Air Patrol. I served in the US Army first as an Infantryman, and later in Intelligence (S-2) and as the unit’s armorer and demolitions man. After my honorable discharge, I worked as a lab tech in biochemical research and nuclear medicine, holding certifications from the USDA, EPA, and NRC.  Disabled now, and medically retired, I keep up my prepping and I am a part time writer, and live “at the foot of the mountain, at the edge of a small town, where the pavement ends and the forest begins” here in the Northeastern PA area with my wife “Mama” Donna, who was a legal secretary before she too became disabled.

 

 

GENERAL FORMAT

Each edition we will have a section for new preppers (Basic), for those who are into prepping a bit (Advanced), and an area where we’ll look at possible situations after a cataclysmic event (Aftermath). We will also have Toucan Bill’s Bird’s Eye View, where we’ll talk about finding prepper items at bargain prices, Prepper Bee Wise’s Buzz words and phrases for Preppers, where we’ll explain terms like BOB’s and such. Feel free to suggest any other features or areas you would like to see covered.

THE BASICS:  PART I & II

            If you are the Average Ann or Andy, you go to some kind of job, make some level of money (probably never enough LOL!) from which you pay for the means to live. (That is your water, food, shelter, etc.)

These “means” come to you by various providers (utility companies, grocery stores, etc.) who in turn are the end points on a long chain of those who grow, gather, or otherwise create what you need. This is assisted by a banking system to keep things running, medical systems to take care of health, and protection for it all from police and fire departments.

            In short, this is your “grid”. While some wish to willingly live “off the grid”, and I say more power to them, most folks, including us here, don’t. I like my a/c, heat, running water, etc. But while I don’t want to live “off the grid” I DO want to live when the grid goes off.

            That is what I see as the main goal of prepping, to be able to maintain some kind of average, normal life if all or some of the normal grid is gone for some period of time.

            While what knocks you off the grid is important, I feel TOO much emphasis has been placed on the more “doomsday” events and such things as “zombies”, or political beliefs and not enough on the more common and likely probabilities. After all , a tornado, hurricane or flood doesn’t care if you are a redneck, wear a white collar or in a blue state.

            Let’s start with a look around your world using what we call the “seven sisters of survival”.   These are water, food, shelter, medical, power, money and security.

To start off, you need water. How do you get it normally? In most cases, the average person gets their water from some water company through the faucet. This can be affected by water main breaks, or some kind of contamination. Currently the entire area of Flint, Mich. has a contaminated water supply. This has also happened in a number of places caused by chemical spills or runoff into reservoirs. So what do you do if they announce you can’t drink the water for an unknown time?

Now let’s talk food. This is more complex because you not only need the food itself, but the means to keep it fresh and to cook it. That also means you have to be able to get to a store that has food and use money or cards to purchase what you need. Ever see a store stripped because of an oncoming storm?  How much food do you have right now? How much is non-perishable? How do you cook it?  Are you “married to the microwave”?

Shelter can vary with each person, from an apartment in a complex in a major city to a house on land in the country. If your shelter is damaged, can you make it livable for the moment by use of tarps, ropes and other means?   Do you have temporary shelter you can set up, or another place to go? All it takes is a chemical spill, gas leak or major fire to cause you to leave your home. Are you ready to dash or dig in to stay?

Medical covers a host of areas, including basic sanitation. What do you do if you can’t use the toilet; wash your dishes, or clothes? What medications you need? What if you are injured by the event? Do you have a first aid kit? Do you know how to use it? Don’t count on EMT’s as there may be no way to reach them or them to get to you and they may be dealing with more serious cases. Can you handle your medical needs right now?

Power generally covers electricity but may in some cases include gas of some form. This is your light and refrigeration and probably your heating and a/c along with how you cook food. It is one of the most important and at the same time the most vulnerable. No, you don’t need some terrorist act to take the electrical grid down; simply a bad storm of some kind can do it. In some cases a car hitting a pole can knock out power for hours. Can you stay warm in winter, or protect your food in the freezer in summer if the power goes out?  Will you able to cook or even eat without it? Do you even have one working flashlight you can find?

Money makes the system work. It is a means of exchange. Today, however, most stores need card systems up and running to be able to sell you anything if you have no cash on hand, even if they have their registers operating off some emergency generator. Also small stores and shops may operate more on a cash basis. Many of us have little cash on hand however. What about you? What’s in your home, piggy bank, or pocket?

Security refers somewhat to the police, but also to your personal situation. Where do you live and work? Is it a good or bad area? How far are you from bad areas? How are your passive   (locks, doors, windows) security measures? What are you moral feelings about defending your home and family when the police can’t be called or may be too overwhelmed to help you? What could you do, or use to protect yourself? (This includes blocking doors with furniture, or having pepper spray)

So now, what will you do and how are you affected if you lose your power for an hour, your water for a day, your entire grid for a week?

While there are NO “one size fits all” answers, there are basic guidelines we will go over as we explore as many of the aspects we can. We will look at these subjects from the standpoint of the Average Ann and Andy, plain folks who don’t have a lot of money, land or time, people who go to work each day and may have to face events away from home.

It can seem overwhelming and it isn’t simple, but it’s nothing the average person can’t deal with. If you want to put an ace up your sleeve in case of an emergency, if you want to try to have a fighting chance if things go wrong, we will try to help you all we can with what we have learned and what others have shared with us.

 

 PART II:  EVENTS AND RESPONSES

          This is a general guideline I came up with to help my prepping. While you may have a specific event in mind to prep for, such as tornados, there are others that can affect you. They can be minor, such as a power pole knocked down by a car accident causing a short term loss of power or as long and destructive as an EMP or Solar Flare.

LEVEL I   (most common)

DURATION: 0-2wks
CAUSE: Loss of the “normal grid” of stores, banks, electricity and/or water due to man-made, (including derailments, chemical spills, etc.) or natural events (storms, flooding, etc.)
EFFECT: No light, no heat in colder months, no A/C in hotter months, no refrigeration/freezer.  There could be water supply / sanitation issues. Banks/stores may be affected
RESPONSE: Alternate ( battery powered) light systems, propane heater/
Ice pre-packed in freezer/12v cooler/at least 2wks nonperishable
food and water/ $200 + cash (hopefully) on hand.

LEVEL II   (less likely but possible)

DURATION: 0-4 wks.
CAUSE: All of above plus computer virus affecting banks,
stores,(ATM’s debit and credit cards), electrical and water/sanitation systems
EFFECT: All of above if electricity/water/sanitation affected. No normal
banking, bill paying, shopping (gas/food) possible. Possible effects
on communications (cell and land line phones)
RESPONSE: All of the above plus 2 more weeks of food and water.

LEVEL III   (least likely, but still possible)

DURATION: 4+ wks.
CAUSE: Economic/ governmental collapse /EMP/Solar event/Pandemic/
Nuclear (plant meltdown/limited exchange). This also includes any serious
disruption of order in the major cities/ supply chains, etc. due to terrorist attack.
EFFECT: All of the above for at least 90 days or more
RESPONSE: Full change over to self- support, gather family if possible/
try to have 90+ days of food, etc.

 

AFTER THE BASICS:   ADVANCED PART I

            You took your time and carefully squeezed out your prepping supplies and gear from your budget. You put together your plans based on the knowledge of your local threats and conditions but with an eye towards the possible major “Level III” disasters that might occur such as solar flares, etc.

            You checked off each of the ”Seven Sisters of Survival”, that is water, food, shelter, sanitation/first aid, power, money, and security,  as you met the basic requirements to cover them  for at least a two week period, if not more. You have set up plans and gear to get back home or to your safe haven if you are away at work, shopping or whatever, or to hunker down in place if necessary. You know there is no perfect plan or situation, but you feel that you have given yourself and your family at least a fighting chance in most probable emergency events.

            So now what? What’s the next step? Do you stop here?

            The choice is yours. If you are comfortable with the level of supplies and gear, and the plans, knowledge and information you have, then just keep up with what you have, rotate your food and water stocks and feel good about what you have done.

            But, you can reach a higher level of coverage with just a little more effort. The next goal would generally be covering everything in your personal “grid” for four weeks or more. You have already done the “heavy lifting” as far as setting up the basics. It’s time to DARE!

            DARE is an easy way to remember what your next steps are.

D         Develop new options for all the basic areas. As time, space, budget and effort allows, see if there is an easier, more economical, and even fun way to add to your prepping. You might want to get a basic food dehydrator and make Jerky, or dry fruits and veggies.

A         Acquire new information, skills, or items as the situation allows, possibly “upgrading” as you go. You could add a lantern  or a battery powered “strip light” to add to where you just had a good flashlight, or some racks for your pantry to hold cans.

R         Rotate, restock and research.  Rotate your stocks by “eating what you store, store what you eat”. Yes it is good to have some special “survival” type foods in “deep reserve” but many times due to their cost, a beginning prepper won’t have much of it. Most of us have to “Two can” our way by adding what we can each trip to the store until we build up our reserves. Once you have built up your basic level, eat from it and replace it to keep it fresh while you try to add to it. Have a limit, so you don’t allow it to fall too low. Do research into information that can add to your knowledge (weather patterns, etc.) and help you do things easier and at less cost. Look for sales and bargains on food and gear. Check out yard sales for useable items and books.

E          Enhance all the areas where you can. Slowly build up water and food stocks to four weeks. Add more first aid items a little at a time. Check and add to any “Bounce back” or “Go Bags” Stock up on more paper towels and toilet paper. Maybe add a small generator or solar panel. Keep putting aside a few dollars and change. Improve locks, doors and barrier plans. If you so decide add to and practice with bows, firearms, etc.

            We will help by showing you different options that may be of value to you. Remember that THERE IS NO ONE SIZE FITS ALL when it comes to prepping, only good general guidelines.

            Are you ready to DARE?

AFTERMATH: AFTER THE DUST SETTLES PART I

            You and some others around you have survived the initial impact of a Level III type event such as a Solar Flare/EMP, government collapse, etc. and have made it through the first three to four weeks. Besides the usual steps to be taken to set up your water gathering, food growing, power generating and security plans, there are the others you may not have put on your list.

            In an old cheap 50’s sci-fi movie, three people survive a short term depletion of the oxygen in the air because they were scuba diving. After an hour or so the oxygen stabilizes back to normal. (Yes, I know, stupid premise.)  When they get to a small town on the Caribbean island they were diving off of, everyone is dead. Then one of the characters points out something overlooked or not mentioned in a number of better made movies, namely they need to get away from towns and cities as fast as they can, because in a few days the dead bodies are going to start to decompose and it will not be healthy to be there.

            The point here is, if you are going to remain in any type of populated area, after three weeks you have good odds of having a number of bodies to dispose of. Besides any deaths from the actual event, there will be die offs from violence, lack of medicines, thirst and starvation.

            This is going to affect you and the others emotionally and give you a rather large problem. The bodies have to be disposed of, but there are moral and religious concerns, along with the logistics of how to handle them safely.

            Given a small town with 1K of population, even a 10% die off is going to be a challenge to deal with, and that’s if everyone else is actually working together. This is why planning for the “day after” a Level III event means more than putting on the camo and shooting up looters with your AK.

TOUCAN BILL’S BIRD’S EYE VIEW: COFFEE!!!!

I’m not a big coffee drinker, but I MUST have that first cup in the morning to get my brain going! LOL! As such, I came up with a number of simple, quick and economical methods of making sure I could have that cup, even if the grid in general and the power in particular went down.

There is the “coffee stick”, of course. This is an individual serving of freeze dried coffee in a tube that can be opened and poured in a cup needing only hot water. These are great for the food packs for backpacks (bug out/bounce back bags). But when you shelter in place (hunker down) at home or your safe haven, you should be able to use the standard ground coffee.

The options with this have been some form of alternate power (generator/car battery with power inverter) and a coffee maker, especially a single cup style, or some form of stove/cooker, which can range from a can of Sterno to a camp stove. In the second case, you can boil water with the grounds in a pan and filter the grounds out with a paper filter in a funnel.

Now, however, there is another easy and economical variation on the boiling water method.  I picked up at a local discount store for $4.00 a pack of two “coffee sticks” with a carrying pouch. These sticks are plastic spoons with a mesh coffee filter at the end that will hold enough regular ground coffee for one cup.  There is a mesh lid in a frame that slides to the side, which allows you to scoop up the coffee. You then slide the lid back and lock it in place, put it in the cup and pour in the hot water. You then stir until your cup is brewed to your liking.

This item can be used for tea or hot chocolate, and possibly for bullion. At this price, it’s easy to have a couple of these 2 packs on hand and in your “go bags”.

The ones I picked up were sold under the name “Handy coffee sticks” and are easy to clean and can be put in a dishwasher.

So while others are stumbling around on a dark morning when the electricity is off, you are sitting back with you hot cup of coffee and your battery powered lights, because you learned than prepping does NOT take up a lot of money, time, space or effort.

PREPPER BEE WISE’S BUZZ WORDS AND PHRASES

GRAB AND GO       This is tossing additional items such as non-perishable food, clothing, or such SWIFTLY into a box or bag and putting it into your vehicle to add to your GO BAGS, BOBS or other such items in an evacuation.

PREPACK CHARLIE  Also known as GO BAGS, these are packs, duffels, or any other containers that hold extra food, water, important papers, money or support equipment that are pre packed and ready to be put in your vehicle within minutes in an evacuation. These are in addition to the BOB’s (Bug out Bags, more on those later) that should, if possible, always remain in the vehicle.

ACE UP YOUR SLEEVE      Any bit of knowledge, equipment, supplies, or situation (not working in a flood plain, etc.) that adds positively to your prepping and odds of survival.

NOT JUST BREATHING       This term means surviving an extreme event and maintaining your morals, standards, dignity, honor, and humanity, Just being alive does not make you human, your conduct does. In Katrina, at the superdome, some were alive and some were human.

BE BACK        Short for” law and order will be reestablished, until then we will maintain order as fairly and decently as we can”.  It comes from an old 60’s movie of a family caught up in a nuclear war. The teen age son says that there won’t be any laws or rules now. His father sternly tells him “don’t count out the law. It will be back. I just want us to be alive when it does.”

(FYI:  The movie was Panic in Year Zero   Horrible title, but a good prepper movie.)

NEVER HAPPEN       The mental attitude of some concerning  any type of event short or long, local or widespread, IN SPITE of 9/11, Katrina, Sandy, tornados, wildfires, so on and so on.

A JAKE MOMENT        This is when you calmly look at a situation gone bad and find new resolve to win out against it. Taken from the low budget movie “ JAKE SPEED”  from the 80’s. In the scene, the hero, Jake Speed, finds all his plans disrupted violently when he is caught between two fighting factions. He calmly stands amid the smoldering wreckage and says:

 “ALL RIGHT, ENOUGH OF THIS BULLSHIT!! “.

SHEEP DANCE      When the unprepared first stand numbly, then panic when a serious event happens or is announced, such as stripping stores of bread and milk before a major snow storm.   This comes from the old rhyme:

            “ When in worry, when in doubt,  run around and scream and shout.”

MARRIED TO THE MICROWAVE    A person or family that lives from freezer to microwave and wouldn’t even know how to open a can of beans with a manual can opener.

FAST FOOD FANATIC   This is a person who lives by the “drive through”.  Picks up breakfast on the way to “the office” goes out for takeout lunch, picks up dinner on the way home. Has more money than common sense and will be in serious trouble if an event knocks the grid out for a week or so.

ECONOMICS MAJOR      This is person who will spend $20 to “vote” for a favorite performer on a TV show but thinks spending $2 on a mini flashlight with batteries is a “silly, unnecessary expense.”

ONE STEP AWAY   This means to be prepped in such a way that it would take one simple action or two in order to handle the effects of small events, such as local power outage or water line break. (Reach for a flashlight, check water supply, etc.)

A YAWN      What a minor event becomes for you when you are prepped. Example of this is when our water was cut off for 1 day because a car hit a hydrant. This was followed by a boil water advisory for four days.  We did have to do ANYTHING. We had nearly 5 gal of water in the jug in the cooler, with 2 more jugs in reserve, plus 2 gallons of water in the refrigerator plus sodas, etc. We never touched our reserve supplies.

WINE AND CAKE       An expression for water and MRE’s (Meals ready to eat) usually directed to those who didn’t prep and don’t have regular food and drink available and have to wait in line for supplies from FEMA, the National Guard, etc.

As in “LOL they can go get their wine and cake if something happens, I’ll be ready here.”

WELCOME TO OUR SPECIAL NEW YEARS DAY 2017 EDITION

By Richard Madia, 

EDITORIAL: Mama Donna is growing stronger every day as she recovers for a severe infection that had her in the hospital before Christmas. This gave us time to reflect on what we are doing with our lives in general and this page in particular. We decided that the effort we put into this page is worth it because it gives the possibility of helping some individual, couple, family or group to have a better chance get through an emergency event, large or small. We will, however, switch to two editions a month, one around the 1st, the other around the 15th.

We do want to make this very clear. We may teach, but we don’t preach! We are NOT out to convert you into prepping. If you see no need or threat to your little world, so be it. Best of luck to you in the next natural or man-made disaster, be it small and localized, or widespread. But if you want to do something to be better prepared, but don’t know where to begin, we’re here for you. GENERAL FORMAT

Each edition will have a section for new preppers (Basic), for those who are into prepping a bit (Advanced), and an area where we’ll look at possible situations after a cataclysmic event (Aftermath). We will also have Toucan Bill’s Bird’s Eye View, where we’ll talk about prepping at bargain prices, Prepper Bee Wise’s Buzz words and phrases for Preppers, where we’ll explain terms like BOB’s and such. There will also be a bit of entertainment in the form of a fiction section where I will post a few pages from the short stories that make up my “When the Day Came” series or other “prepper” fiction. Feel free to suggest any other features or areas you would like to see covered.

A BIT OF WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE’RE ABOUT Our goal is to help guide the “Average Ann and Andy” to have a fighting chance in case some natural or man-made emergency event disrupts their normal living for some period of time. We are NOT experts, nor claim to be. We are just plain folk on a budget like you. (If your budget is “fixed” you are usually broke, LOL!) We’ve seen a few events in our time, learned from them and other sources and know a bit from experience and want to share it all with you. We will present options for you that will cost the least in money, time, space and effort. We will NOT present or deal in any political views, radical or racial slants, or any kind of “hate and hurt” positions. While we may from time to time discuss various defensive techniques that will include forms of weapons, these areas will be only a VERY small portion of the information on prepping we will present to you. Or to put it simply, WE DON’T DO CAMO COMMANDOS, MILITIAS OR ZOMBIES. LOL!

We don’t make a cent off of this, and as of yet have no sponsors or advertisers. If we ever do, they MUST meet our guidelines of having good quality products and services and not flashy junk. I don’t intend to say much about us because I feel the message is important, not the messenger and because we don’t do this to make “big money” or as an “ego stroke”. But, since some folks may wonder about my background and such, here goes. Richard P. Maida IS my real name and my wife is Donna. We are real people and do live the way I describe, so we don’t hide behind a phony photo or name. Here is our “info”.

MINI BIO Richard P. Maida (writing as Poor Richard/RPM/Toucan Bill/B.B.Trapp, etc.) I’m now over 60 and was raised during the Cold War. I had Civil Defense training in high school and later learned Search and Rescue as a member of the Civil Air Patrol. I served in the US Army first as an Infantryman, and later in Intelligence (S-2) and as the unit’s armorer and demolitions man. After my honorable discharge, I worked as a lab tech in biochemical research and nuclear medicine, holding certifications from the USDA, EPA, and NRC. Disabled now, and medically retired, I keep up my prepping and I am a part time writer, and live “at the foot of the mountain, at the edge of a small town, where the pavement ends and the forest begins” here in the Northeastern PA area with my wife “Mama” Donna, who was a legal secretary before she too became disabled.

THE BASICS: PART I & II If you are the Average Ann or Andy, you go to some kind of job, make some level of money (probably never enough LOL!) from which you pay for the means to live. (That is your water, food, shelter, etc.) These “means” come to you by various providers (utility companies, grocery stores, etc.) who in turn are the end points on a long chain of those who grow, gather, or otherwise create what you need. This is assisted by a banking system to keep things running, medical systems to take care of health, and protection for it all from police and fire departments.

In short, this is your “grid”. While some wish to willingly live “off the grid”, and I say more power to them, most folks, including us here, don’t. I like my a/c, heat, running water, etc. But while I don’t want to live “off the grid” I DO want to live when the grid goes off. That is what I see as the main goal of prepping, to be able to maintain some kind of average, normal life if all or some of the normal grid is gone for some period of time.

While what knocks you off the grid is important, I feel TOO much emphasis has been placed on the more “doomsday” events and such things as “zombies”, or political beliefs and not enough on the more common and likely probabilities. After all , a tornado, hurricane or flood doesn’t care if you are a redneck, wear a white collar or in a blue state.

Let’s start with a look around your world using what we call the “seven sisters of survival”. These are water, food, shelter, medical, power, money and security.

To start off, you need water. How do you get it normally? In most cases, the average person gets their water from some water company through the faucet. This can be affected by water main breaks, or some kind of contamination. Currently the entire area of Flint, Mich. has a contaminated water supply. This has also happened in a number of places caused by chemical spills or runoff into reservoirs. So what do you do if they announce you can’t drink the water for an unknown time?

Now let’s talk food. This is more complex because you not only need the food itself, but the means to keep it fresh and to cook it. That also means you have to be able to get to a store that has food and use money or cards to purchase what you need. Ever see a store stripped because of an oncoming storm? How much food do you have right now? How much is non-perishable? How do you cook it? Are you “married to the microwave”?

Shelter can vary with each person, from an apartment in a complex in a major city to a house on land in the country. If your shelter is damaged, can you make it livable for the moment by use of tarps, ropes and other means? Do you have temporary shelter you can set up, or another place to go? All it takes is a chemical spill, gas leak or major fire to cause you to leave your home. Are you ready to dash or dig in to stay?

Medical covers a host of areas, including basic sanitation. What do you do if you can’t use the toilet; wash your dishes, or clothes? What medications you need? What if you are injured by the event? Do you have a first aid kit? Do you know how to use it? Don’t count on EMT’s as there may be no way to reach them or them to get to you and they may be dealing with more serious cases. Can you handle your medical needs right now?

Power generally covers electricity but may in some cases include gas of some form. This is your light and refrigeration and probably your heating and a/c along with how you cook food. It is one of the most important and at the same time the most vulnerable. No, you don’t need some terrorist act to take the electrical grid down; simply a bad storm of some kind can do it. In some cases a car hitting a pole can knock out power for hours. Can you stay warm in winter, or protect your food in the freezer in summer if the power goes out? Will you able to cook or even eat without it? Do you even have one working flashlight you can find?

Money makes the system work. It is a means of exchange. Today, however, most stores need card systems up and running to be able to sell you anything if you have no cash on hand, even if they have their registers operating off some emergency generator. Also small stores and shops may operate more on a cash basis. Many of us have little cash on hand however. What about you? What’s in your home, piggy bank, or pocket?

Security refers somewhat to the police, but also to your personal situation. Where do you live and work? Is it a good or bad area? How far are you from bad areas? How are your passive (locks, doors, windows) security measures? What are you moral feelings about defending your home and family when the police can’t be called or may be too overwhelmed to help you? What could you do, or use to protect yourself? (This includes blocking doors with furniture, or having pepper spray) So now, what will you do and how are you affected if you lose your power for an hour, your water for a day, your entire grid for a week?

While there are NO “one size fits all” answers, there are basic guidelines we will go over as we explore as many of the aspects we can. We will look at these subjects from the standpoint of the Average Ann and Andy, plain folks who don’t have a lot of money, land or time, people who go to work each day and may have to face events away from home.

It can seem overwhelming and it isn’t simple, but it’s nothing the average person can’t deal with. If you want to put an ace up your sleeve in case of an emergency, if you want to try to have a fighting chance if things go wrong, we will try to help you all we can with what we have learned and what others have shared with us.

PART II: EVENTS AND RESPONSES This is a general guideline I came up with to help my prepping. While you may have a specific event in mind to prep for, such as tornados, there are others that can affect you. They can be minor, such as a power pole knocked down by a car accident causing a short term loss of power or as long and destructive as an EMP or Solar Flare.

LEVEL I (most common) DURATION: 0-2wks CAUSE: Loss of the “normal grid” of stores, banks, electricity and/or water due to man-made, (including derailments, chemical spills, etc.) or natural events (storms, flooding, etc.) EFFECT: No light, no heat in colder months, no A/C in hotter months, no refrigeration/freezer. There could be water supply / sanitation issues. Banks/stores may be affected RESPONSE: Alternate ( battery powered) light systems, propane heater/ Ice pre-packed in freezer/12v cooler/at least 2wks nonperishable food and water/ $200 + cash (hopefully) on hand.

LEVEL II (less likely but possible) DURATION: 0-4 wks. CAUSE: All of above plus computer virus affecting banks, stores,(ATM’s debit and credit cards), electrical and water/sanitation systems EFFECT: All of above if electricity/water/sanitation affected. No normal banking, bill paying, shopping (gas/food) possible. Possible effects on communications (cell and land line phones) RESPONSE: All of the above plus 2 more weeks of food and water.

LEVEL III (least likely, but still possible) DURATION: 4+ wks. CAUSE: Economic/ governmental collapse /EMP/Solar event/Pandemic/ Nuclear (plant meltdown/limited exchange). This also includes any serious disruption of order in the major cities/ supply chains, etc. due to terrorist attack. EFFECT: All of the above for at least 90 days or more RESPONSE: Full change over to self- support, gather family if possible/ try to have 90+ days of food, etc.

AFTER THE BASICS: ADVANCED PART I You took your time and carefully squeezed out your prepping supplies and gear from your budget. You put together your plans based on the knowledge of your local threats and conditions but with an eye towards the possible major “Level III” disasters that might occur such as solar flares, etc. You checked off each of the ”Seven Sisters of Survival”, that is water, food, shelter, sanitation/first aid, power, money, and security, as you met the basic requirements to cover them for at least a two week period, if not more. You have set up plans and gear to get back home or to your safe haven if you are away at work, shopping or whatever, or to hunker down in place if necessary. You know there is no perfect plan or situation, but you feel that you have given yourself and your family at least a fighting chance in most probable emergency events.

So now what? What’s the next step? Do you stop here? The choice is yours. If you are comfortable with the level of supplies and gear, and the plans, knowledge and information you have, then just keep up with what you have, rotate your food and water stocks and feel good about what you have done.

But, you can reach a higher level of coverage with just a little more effort. The next goal would generally be covering everything in your personal “grid” for four weeks or more. You have already done the “heavy lifting” as far as setting up the basics. It’s time to DARE! DARE is an easy way to remember what your next steps are. D Develop new options for all the basic areas. As time, space, budget and effort allows, see if there is an easier, more economical, and even fun way to add to your prepping. You might want to get a basic food dehydrator and make Jerky, or dry fruits and veggies.

An Acquire new information, skills, or items as the situation allows, possibly “upgrading” as you go. You could add a lantern or a battery powered “strip light” to add to where you just had a good flashlight, or some racks for your pantry to hold cans.

R Rotate, restock and research. Rotate your stocks by “eating what you store, store what you eat”. Yes it is good to have some special “survival” type foods in “deep reserve” but many times due to their cost, a beginning prepper won’t have much of it. Most of us have to “Two can” our way by adding what we can each trip to the store until we build up our reserves. Once you have built up your basic level, eat from it and replace it to keep it fresh while you try to add to it. Have a limit, so you don’t allow it to fall too low. Do research into information that can add to your knowledge (weather patterns, etc.) and help you do things easier and at less cost. Look for sales and bargains on food and gear. Check out yard sales for useable items and books.

E Enhance all the areas where you can. Slowly build up water and food stocks to four weeks. Add more first aid items a little at a time. Check and add to any “Bounce back” or “Go Bags” Stock up on more paper towels and toilet paper. Maybe add a small generator or solar panel. Keep putting aside a few dollars and change. Improve locks, doors and barrier plans. If you so decide add to and practice with bows, firearms, etc.

We will help by showing you different options that may be of value to you. Remember that THERE IS NO ONE SIZE FITS ALL when it comes to prepping, only good general guidelines. Are you ready to DARE?

AFTERMATH: AFTER THE DUST SETTLES PART I You and some others around you have survived the initial impact of a Level III type event such as a Solar Flare/EMP, government collapse, etc. and have made it through the first three to four weeks. Besides the usual steps to be taken to set up your water gathering, food growing, power generating and security plans, there are the others you may not have put on your list. In an old cheap 50’s sci-fi movie, three people survive a short term depletion of the oxygen in the air because they were scuba diving. After an hour or so the oxygen stabilizes back to normal. (Yes, I know, stupid premise.) When they get to a small town on the Caribbean island they were diving off of, everyone is dead. Then one of the characters points out something overlooked or not mentioned in a number of better made movies, namely they need to get away from towns and cities as fast as they can, because in a few days the dead bodies are going to start to decompose and it will not be healthy to be there.

The point here is, if you are going to remain in any type of populated area, after three weeks you have good odds of having a number of bodies to dispose of. Besides any deaths from the actual event, there will be die offs from violence, lack of medicines, thirst and starvation. This is going to affect you and the others emotionally and give you a rather large problem. The bodies have to be disposed of, but there are moral and religious concerns, along with the logistics of how to handle them safely.

Given a small town with 1K of population, even a 10% die off is going to be a challenge to deal with, and that’s if everyone else is actually working together. This is why planning for the “day after” a Level III event means more than putting on the camo and shooting up looters with your AK. TOUCAN BILL’S BIRD’S EYE VIEW: COFFEE!!!! I’m not a big coffee drinker, but I MUST have that first cup in the morning to get my brain going! LOL! As such, I came up with a number of simple, quick and economical methods of making sure I could have that cup, even if the grid in general and the power in particular went down.

There is the “coffee stick”, of course. This is an individual serving of freeze dried coffee in a tube that can be opened and poured in a cup needing only hot water. These are great for the food packs for backpacks (bug out/bounce back bags). But when you shelter in place (hunker down) at home or your safe haven, you should be able to use the standard ground coffee.

The options with this have been some form of alternate power (generator/car battery with power inverter) and a coffee maker, especially a single cup style, or some form of stove/cooker, which can range from a can of Sterno to a camp stove. In the second case, you can boil water with the grounds in a pan and filter the grounds out with a paper filter in a funnel.

Now, however, there is another easy and economical variation on the boiling water method. I picked up at a local discount store for $4.00 a pack of two “coffee sticks” with a carrying pouch. These sticks are plastic spoons with a mesh coffee filter at the end that will hold enough regular ground coffee for one cup. There is a mesh lid in a frame that slides to the side, which allows you to scoop up the coffee. You then slide the lid back and lock it in place, put it in the cup and pour in the hot water. You then stir until your cup is brewed to your liking.

This item can be used for tea or hot chocolate, and possibly for bullion. At this price, it’s easy to have a couple of these 2 packs on hand and in your “go bags”.The ones I picked up were sold under the name “Handy coffee sticks” and are easy to clean and can be put in a dishwasher. So while others are stumbling around on a dark morning when the electricity is off, you are sitting back with you hot cup of coffee and your battery powered lights, because you learned than prepping does NOT take up a lot of money, time, space or effort.

PREPPER BEE WISE’S BUZZ WORDS AND PHRASES GRAB AND GO This is tossing additional items such as non-perishable food, clothing, or such SWIFTLY into a box or bag and putting it into your vehicle to add to your GO BAGS, BOBS or other such items in an evacuation.

PREPACK CHARLIE Also known as GO BAGS, these are packs, duffels, or any other containers that hold extra food, water, important papers, money or support equipment that are pre packed and ready to be put in your vehicle within minutes in an evacuation. These are in addition to the BOB’s (Bug out Bags, more on those later) that should, if possible, always remain in the vehicle.

ACE UP YOUR SLEEVE Any bit of knowledge, equipment, supplies, or situation (not working in a flood plain, etc.) that adds positively to your prepping and odds of survival. NOT JUST BREATHING This term means surviving an extreme event and maintaining your morals, standards, dignity, honor, and humanity, Just being alive does not make you human, your conduct does. In Katrina, at the superdome, some were alive and some were human.

BE BACK Short for” law and order will be reestablished, until then we will maintain order as fairly and decently as we can”. It comes from an old 60’s movie of a family caught up in a nuclear war. The teen age son says that there won’t be any laws or rules now. His father sternly tells him “don’t count out the law. It will be back. I just want us to be alive when it does.” (FYI: The movie was Panic in Year Zero Horrible title, but a good prepper movie.)

NEVER HAPPEN The mental attitude of some concerning any type of event short or long, local or widespread, IN SPITE of 9/11, Katrina, Sandy, tornados, wildfires, so on and so on. A JAKE MOMENT This is when you calmly look at a situation gone bad and find new resolve to win out against it. Taken from the low budget movie “ JAKE SPEED” from the 80’s. In the scene, the hero, Jake Speed, finds all his plans disrupted violently when he is caught between two fighting factions. He calmly stands amid the smoldering wreckage and says:

“ALL RIGHT, ENOUGH OF THIS BULLSHIT!! “. SHEEP DANCE When the unprepared first stand numbly, then panic when a serious event happens or is announced, such as stripping stores of bread and milk before a major snow storm. This comes from the old rhyme: “ When in worry, when in doubt, run around and scream and shout.”

MARRIED TO THE MICROWAVE A person or family that lives from freezer to microwave and wouldn’t even know how to open a can of beans with a manual can opener.

FAST FOOD FANATIC This is a person who lives by the “drive through”. Picks up breakfast on the way to “the office” goes out for takeout lunch, picks up dinner on the way home. Has more money than common sense and will be in serious trouble if an event knocks the grid out for a week or so.

ECONOMICS MAJOR This is person who will spend $20 to “vote” for a favorite performer on a TV show but thinks spending $2 on a mini flashlight with batteries is a “silly, unnecessary expense.” ONE STEP AWAY This means to be prepped in such a way that it would take one simple action or two in order to handle the effects of small events, such as local power outage or water line break. (Reach for a flashlight, check water supply, etc.)

A YAWN What a minor event becomes for you when you are prepped. Example of this is when our water was cut off for 1 day because a car hit a hydrant. This was followed by a boil water advisory for four days. We did have to do ANYTHING. We had nearly 5 gal of water in the jug in the cooler, with 2 more jugs in reserve, plus 2 gallons of water in the refrigerator plus sodas, etc. We never touched our reserve supplies.

WINE AND CAKE An expression for water and MRE’s (Meals ready to eat) usually directed to those who didn’t prep and don’t have regular food and drink available and have to wait in line for supplies from FEMA, the National Guard, etc. As in “LOL they can go get their wine and cake if something happens, I’ll be ready here.”

POOR RICHARD’S FICTION CORNER Every edition we will post some “prepper” fiction. This is a page from the first short story CHOICES, from my fictional work “When the Day Came” PLEASE NOTE: This entire work IS copyrighted.

Choices Part I: Marlene mixed herself a scotch and walked back to the couch in the living room of her stylish house on a quiet street in her gated community. Sitting down she grimaced thinking that today was grocery shopping day. She hated the task so much she held off as long as she could until there was nothing left in the kitchen. It’s not like she actually went to a grocery store, God forbid, but even the thought of making a list and calling it in was enough to ruin her day. At least the exclusive store she used delivered and put up her order. Still, with her in her late forties she should have a house keeper to do such menial tasks. But with the stock market doing a nose dive every second day, her husband, Stanley, claimed they just could not take on more expenses.

The thought of him put another grimace on her face. She had caught him right after college when she saw that with a little training and control he would be the right man in the right profession to give her the social status and financial position she desired. This was the first time that he had ever balked at fulfilling a demand of hers.

She shook her head wondering why he couldn’t show some backbone at work and demand a raise. But no, he was as much of a wimp there as he was at home. He only had his current position thanks to her skillful entertaining of his bosses and their wives. God, they were enough to make her gag every time they came to dinner. She worked just as hard as he did for what they had. Without warning the A/C and the CD player she had on stopped. She cursed under her breath at the thought of another brownout on this, one of the hottest days in August.

Figuring the afternoon was ruined anyway, she went to call in the order. She wouldn’t bother with a list. They could just send what she ordered last time. Stan wouldn’t know the difference anyway.

Forgetting that the base unit needed electricity to work, she lifted the phone up and found it was dead. Putting the now useless phone back, she went to the kitchen and got her cell. She put it to her ear and again got nothing. After checking to see if it was on, she set it back down angry at herself for not making sure it was charged. Strange though, it was working at lunch time when she tried to call Stan.

When a knock at the front door got her attention, she realized that the doorbell wasn’t working either. She opened it to find her friend and neighbor from four doors up the street standing there sweating and panting.