Disaster Preperations

We live in hurricane country. We may not get a lot of big ones, but even Isabel, at Level 1, left me without power for 9 days and my mom for 14 days. The hurricane hit on Tuesday, and I went back to work Monday. Leaving work early the night before the hurricane, we were told, would result in immediate dismissal. I was unable to prep that night, so I had to have it all done in advance (didn't quite happen).

While I was able to stay at a place with a generator that time, I can't count on that again.

DFH and I were talking this past weekend about what we need to be prepared. Prepared right where we are, and using Isabel as one of the guidelines. I used basic Areas and we'll list what we'd need to fill those areas without electric:

Areas (no order):
Food, and the ability to cook it
Water, potable
Shelter
Light source
Communications
Sanitation
First Aid
Activities

Now, the biggest needs are water, sanitation, first aid, shelter, food. You can live 3 days without water, 2 weeks without food, and lack of sanitation can really mess with you (infections & illness). Communications are important, and activities are sanity-saving. Especially if you have kids! Official recommendations were once to be able to take care of your family for three days; now it says 3-7 days. Two weeks may be better - remember Katrina!

I'll post later on what we discussed for those areas. Have you talked about it with your family? Have you made plans?

Independance Day - 4-19-10

1. Plant something: nothing this week.

2. Harvest something: nothing.

3. Preserved something: Nothing.

4. Waste not: leftovers.

6. Build community: nothing.

7. Eat the food: I'm learning to cook with sourdough. Still. Tonight I'll make new starter as I apparently destroyed the last one. Learning to eat from the pantry better - I think the last 2 weeks have been dairy-and-salad grocery lists.

8. Crafting: Worked on a gift afghan. Cleared out the 'repairs' sewing basket. Finished a lap blanket for me.

Independance Day 4-12-2010

1. Plant something: Radish, spinach, red chard. Germination on the previous planting wasn't as good as I'd like other than the lettuces.

2. Harvest something: nothing.

3. Preserved something: bone broths, chicken & ham.

4. Waste not: leftovers, broths. Made trail mix for DFH from items already in the pantry.

6. Build community: nothing.

7. Eat the food: I'm learning to cook with sourdough. Still. Tonight I'll see if that latest experiment produces edible bread.

8. Crafting: Nothing. Yesterday was spent outside, walking. Lovely weather and I survived the pollen.

Preparation: General disaster preparedness, especially given this year's hurricane forecast. Yesterday we brainstormed a list of items we don't have that we think we'd need. I'll do a separate post on the plan layout later.

Independance Day 3-30-2010

1. Plant something: nothing. However - I have seedlings!

I did, at least mentally, figure out which planting pots to keep and which to re-home. They aren't very useful when I don't have room to store them all, let alone use them.... and several are too small for the likely uses. I'll get it down to what will actually get used.

2. Harvest something: nothing.

3. Preserved something: nothing.

4. Waste not: Added meat pies to my skill set, for using of leftovers. Yum!

6. Build community: Monthly order from local farmer.

7. Eat the food: I'm learning to cook with sourdough. I'm also trying to quit going to the store so often; it's costing ALOT to do that. Getting "just one thing" has annihilated my grocery budget. Yes, it's that bad.

8. Crafting: Frogged two items. One didn't work, the other I used the wrong yarn and that killed the project. I'm working on spinning more often, and also re-starting DFH's wool mittens - amazing how one can screw up when one has put it down for a month. I put a massive dent in the sewing repair pile as well.

Waking up the Garden

I went out this weekend and checked on the garden.

The rosemary is OK, and I'll give it a bit of a trim later. One of the chives plants came up; the other has 3 leaves. We’ll see how it does. The parsley barely survived and was finally moved somewhere out of the wind where it will still get light. Somehow, I don't think it liked being in a 4" pot on the coldest, windiest corner of the balcony.

I planted Red Ruby Swiss Chard, overseeded with spinach, and put lettuce in another pot. Basil is started in the house, and everything else is on the balcony. I'll put out more lettuce & spinach in a week or two, try to keep those on continuous harvests. I know that the cool balcony let me keep harvesting lettuce into June or July.

I’m in zone 7b and keep forgetting I can start seed indoors in February here…

Independance Day 3-16-2010

1. Plant something: Ruby Red chard, spinach, lettuce mix.

2. Harvest something: nothing

3. Preserved something: nothing.

4. Waste not: Eating of leftovers. Root stew.

6. Build community: nothing.

7. Eat the food: Apple pie. I made 'quick' white bread; I had forgotten how filling homemade bread is. Root stew, with foods bought at the market that are still good. Re-hydrating last summer's local tomatoes and enjoying them on my sandwiches.

8. Crafting: I'm working on a granny-square afghan for a Yule gift, a blanket of flowers for the bed. Most of the Yule gifts will be food; I'll do a bit of prep over the summer but the most will get done in November.

I'm also working on a kerchief for me, and DFH's cross-stitch Yule stocking. Those three are what is currently active. RAK's? Ohhh, different story...

Habits

... That I've changed. A bit at a time, and then you look things over and are surprised with what you accomplished :)

• I use olive oil applied with a cooking "paintbrush" instead of cooking spray. Using seasoned cast-iron helps, too.
  
• We use dish clothes and cotton towels instead of sponges and paper towels. I put out fresh ones last thing before bed each night.
• We use fabric napkins. For the three of use, I have about a dozen napkins. I wash them with the towels (hot water) and as long as I keep on laundry we don't run out.
• I make breakfast bars or muffins as take-along breakfasts.
• All the cleaning is done with vinegar and baking soda.
• I don't use dryer sheets. I air-dry the fabrics that cause the static, and have no problems. The fabrics in question all seem to be polyester, rayon, or another man-made material.
• Clothing is repaired, then later re-purposed, whenever possible.
• Food shopping is seasonal, local, and organic... in about that order. We feel the additional cost is off-set by the savings: we don't lose hours at work or pay the doctor.
• My favorite place to shop (other than the bookstore!) is the local thrift store.
  
• Gifts are handmade whenever possible.

What kind of changes have you made?