Crisis averted...

Severe thunderstorm hit. Knocked over plants and ruined my patio umbrella. The dog was extra scared, and the cat. #1 wife managed to get my supper ready after I had been out all day putting my hunter gatherer skills to the test. I brought home two fine 12" White Bass for her to cook. I had to clean them though (42 years and that woman still can't clean a fish...), then the lights went out. It was still light enough to see so we ate on the back porch and had a conversation (I know, weird, right?) Anyway, I occurred to me right after supper that the AC wasn't on. Then I realized that if the electricity was off then my CPAP wasn't going to work either! I switched to survival mode. I fired up the generator and it actually fired up! Shocker! Then the lady next door called to tell me the electricity was out (what are neighbors for, right?)

But, The kicker to all this was that a little thunderstorm had knocked out power to most of the county... That's right, and entire Texas county had no lights because of some rain....

We are in big trouble if another big storm hits. All kidding aside, tomorrow I guess I'll start prepping to the extent of getting my gas cans and water cans ready and getting a few extra batteries.

Obviously, our lights are back on and the internet is even working some 3 hours later. AC is ginnning and CPAP is ready. I really did not enjoy the 5 days we spent without juice last year. 30 -40 years ago it wouldn't have bothered me because mostly I didn't know any better. Next time I'm going to have gas for a generator to run the AC and CPAP. IN fact tomorrow I'm ordering a portable CPAP with a solar recharge. I'm too old to die just yet.

Alan

We had a guy in our camping group dependent on meds to live. He didn't prep much because of his limited time span from the infrastructure fail to his death. He was very fatalistic about it. His wife and kid didn't seem to enter the equation. Pretty depressing.


My next door neighbor has a cpap and needs refrigerated meds. She's been like that forever. When the elec goes out either another neighbor or we run a cord from our gennies to her "must have" stuff. I've been close to her for decades. She has been "dying" for that long. She's very much a Christian. She s ready to go but hangs on because she believes He still has work for here. Tough old lady.

Two opposites regarding survival. One says, "Oh well, if I die I die." The other fights on and on through infirmity and depression to live another day.

I don't have to have the CPAP to live but it sure makes sleeping much nicer. I've never understood those who refuse to take even minimal precautions. Doesn't seem they ever mind taking advantage of the precautions others have taken.

I've spent most of my life running around two day, two weeks, two years, ten years in the future. The thought that I might die and not have to worry about it is one of the main reasons I do most of the things I do.

Temp dropped to 67 this morning with the cool front and we may be through with the rain for a day or so, though the weather man doesn't think so.

We have a neighborhood D***head who doesn't do anything that doesn't help himself and does nothing to help anyone else. Not that he has any obligation to do so but he doesn't mind taking advantage of the prep of others or even complaining about it if it displeases him. Oh well, I guess that's why there's always one of those in all the movies.

There was lots of lightening yesterday and I'm sure that contributed to the loss of power more than the wind or rain. Not much a guy can do to prep for a lightening bolt.

Alan

I've said it before but every neighborhood has one of those guys. If yours doesn't then its probably you. We have a guy that will not only borrow your mower but ask for gas as well. Then brings the mower back filthy with grass clippings. He knows better than to borrow anything from me. The price is a lecture and he doesn't seem to want to pay it.

People pay for car insurance, house insurance and even life insurance. They protect stuff but they don't seem to think far enough to protect their life by insuring that they have a few things to get them through the tough times if things get bad. Even squirrels protect their nuts.

We had a friendly rain yesterday. Thunder and lightning but that's par for the course here. Heat index was 102 yesterday before the rain.

Being prepared gives me peace of mind. I refuse to be a victim.

A liberal friend up in NC asked me what was it that I was afraid of that I would carry a firearm. I said nothin'. 'Cause I carry.

I have a very good friend that is British that lives here in the U.S. He does not understand the American "fascination" with firearms. I tried to explain that it isn't a fascination. He said he will never ever own one. He feels protected. I told him he's protected by proxy because guys like me do own.

It's the same way with home repairs and vehicle maint. I had a friend ask me one time how much I thought I had saved by doing all that stuff myself... I told him that it had never really occurred to me to quantify it. I asked him how much it had cost him to get a recent repair done... He told me and then I said, "Well, that's how much I would have saved".

He had his lawn mower in the bed of his truck one morning at school. It wouldn't start. He said he was taking it to the mower shop after work. I walked out to the parking lot saw the cable for the engine brake dangling under the handle and reattached it. I went back inside and told him it was fixed. He didn't believe me until he went out and started it.

Another teacher said his truck didn't have a spare. I looked under the bed where every truck since 1970 has had the spare and there it was. "How do you get it out?" I said, "Well, the way I get it out is to tell you how to do it. That way you'll know next time..."

It goes on forever. In the kingdom of the blind, the one eyed man is king. There's an awful lot of people who are going to die in the first week of the apocalypse. I figure on staying out of their way until week 5 and I'll be home free.

All the prepping in the world is for nothing if a guy doesn't know what to do on simple things.

Alan

My father-in-law was marveling at some of the things #1 son had done at his place. He asked him, "Where did you learn to do all these things?" #1 son, just turned and looked at me with this big grin on his face.

Alan

Yes, I'm bragging...

Alan

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Alan R McDaniel Jr

My father-in-law was marveling at some of the things #1 son had done at his place. He asked him, "Where did you learn to do all these things?" #1 son, just turned and looked at me with this big grin on his face.

Alan

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Alan R McDaniel Jr

Yes, I'm bragging...

Alan

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No brag. Just fact.