Winter Storm Advisory

We haven't had much in the way of winter storms so far this season.  Boy is that getting ready to change. The WeatherMan  is calling for blizzard conditions here in the next few hours.  4-8 inches of snow with highs in the low teens. Oh, I forgot to mention the sleet didn't I?  Nothing like ice covered roads mixed with folks who can't drive on DRY roads!  Thank goodness we are all prepared and don't have a reason to get out in all that mess.  So it looks like I will get to see my first blizzard up close and personal.  STOP LAUGHING!!  This is big stuff for this ol' Texas gal. My very first Blizzard!  Of course they are saying this may be one for the record books.  Figures doesn't it!

     Check it out - This is what "they" are calling for.

* 4 TO 8 INCHES OF SNOW...WITH LOCAL AMOUNTS AROUND 12 INCHES...ARE EXPECTED. ADDITIONALLY...1 TO 2 INCHES OF SLEET ARE POSSIBLE. ONE QUARTER TO ONE HALF INCH ICE ACCUMULATIONS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE FROM SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA INTO FAR NORTHWEST ARKANSAS. STRONG NORTHWESTERLY WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH ARE EXPECTED WHICH WILL PRODUCE SNOW DRIFTS UP TO TWO FEET.

IMPACTS... * TRAVEL WILL BECOME VERY HAZARDOUS OR IMPOSSIBLE. POWER OUTAGES ARE LIKELY IN SOME AREAS

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... * DELAY TRAVEL AND STAY HOME IF POSSIBLE UNTIL CONDITIONS IMPROVE.

     They are telling everyone to get ready for this storm. It may just make it into the record books.   It looks like its going to be a doozy. (ever wonder where that word came from?)  I hope you got your shopping done and are ready to stay home for a few days.  I sure wouldn't want to have to get out in this kind of weather because I didn't have something that I could have been prepared for. You don't want to get caught with your pants down. (so to speak)  Make a list and check it twice, because tomorrow there will be lots of ice!!  :D

      Seriously though, you might want to run through your checklist.  Do you have enough food put back to last until the roads clear again?  Do you have water stored just in case the pipes burst or freeze?  Is your heating covered?  For  example, do you have enough propane, wood, or whatever you use?  If you heat with electricity, do you have an alternate source of heat?  Do you have alternate lighting in case you loose electricity? How about batteries for your flashlights and radio?  Have you wrapped your outside pipes?  And be sure not to forget the animals. Even though they have fur they need some sort of shelter from the cold too. 

     This is a really good time to make sure all your proverbial ducks are in a row.  I know I have probably left out some things here but the point is that you have made sure you are as ready as you can get.

    I did make a trip to Braums and picked up some milk.   We have done up all the dishes and the laundry. Mrs M made a big pot of beans just in case we have to resort to using the camp  stove. That way we only have to heat them up. Besides, her order for some sort of beans came in and she wanted to cook some. I think she said they were called piquinto beans. We also baked a couple of loaves (well 4 actually)of bread.  Hmmm, what else did we do.... Oh, the oil lamps have to be filled and the globes needed to be washed.  I think that's about it. 

     The only reason I shared this stuff with you all is because I wanted to show you something.  If you are prepared in advance for a possible emergency then when the time comes there is very little left to be done. It is a good feeling.
If you have already prepared for these type things then right now you are sitting back and just waiting for the storm to come on through.  This is the reason we prep. If it gets bad we don't have to worry nearly as much as someone who hasn't taken the time and effort to prepare. Heck, even the government suggests you have emergency supplies to cover you for 3 days.  Around here I think we are as ready as we can be.  And honestly it feels good to know that. 
                    ~~~ Hey ... I'm Just Sayin' ... ~~~

Dehydrating Is Fun

I really love dehydrating foods.  It is an easy solution  for storing many things in your long term storage.  Fruits and vegetables don't take up as much room and it is also extremely easy to do.  Folks have been drying foods for centuries.  It doesn't take much equipment and the foods, when dried, can be stored easily and take very little space. 

You can dehydrate most vegetables.  There are of course exceptions to every rule, but generally most will do well when dried.

   You will need some method of drying your vegetables, something to cut them with and some method of blanching some of your vegetables.  All that means is that you need a dryer, a knife and a big pot of boiling water!

    People ask what kind of dehydrators they should look for.  Two of the most popular are the Excalibur and the Nesco American Harvester.  The Excalibur is an excellent dehydrator and what I call the "Caddy" (as in Cadillac) of dryers. It is also one of the most expensive ones on the market.  The folks I know who own them wouldn't trade them for the world.  A really nice dehydrator with nine large trays.  The fan is located in the back of the dehydrator and blows air evenly ACROSS the foods.

    The Nesco American Harvester is a great dehydrator. The cost is less than half of the Excalibur.  It is the one that I own.  I love mine and it does a wonderful job.  It is an expandable dehydrator. What that means is that you can add up to 12 trays or use as few as one.  The fan on the Nesco is at the top of the dryer and blows air down and back up the trays.  It has "vents" in the sides that also help to circulate the air. 

Either of these dehydrators are an excellent choice. The one thing you want in a dryer is to make sure that it has a thermostat.  Some come with timers but in my opinion they are unnecessary.

   Another dehydrator to consider is a solar dehydrator.  You can buy these already constructed or build one yourself.  There are many plans out there on the internet for building  one yourself.  You may just have things laying around the house that can be turned into a solar dryer.  You could even make a "redneck" dehydrator by using a car in the summertime.  Sounds funny I know, but it can and does work!  Like I said, just do an internet search and you will come up with tons of different ways to make your own dehydrator. 

    As I said earlier, you can dehydrate almost any vegetable and lots of different fruits. Once your garden starts producing ( You do have a garden started right?) you can dry all those vegetables rather than using up your freezer space. 

I'll be doing some more posts on dehydrating in the future.  But if you are looking for more information there are many places on the net.  One of the best is Dehydrate2Store.  Tammy is a dehydrating "guru" and there is much that you can learn from her videos. 

                 ~~~ Hey ... I'm Just Sayin' ...~~~

Saturday Morning Funnies

The sun is shining here and it is supposed to be close to 70 today! Gonna be a gorgeous day here in the south.  I hope everyone enjoys their weekend.  Here's a little something to help start your day off with a good laugh.  I'm off to play in the sunshine. Have a wonderful day!! 

 


Come on, who in the world doesn't love a good laugh on a Saturday morning?  
                           ~~~ Hey... I'm Just Sayin' ...~~~
 

Have You Checked out The Survival Blog?

On Monday I suggested you might want to check out some of the sites I've got listed. I follow a ton of folks and enjoy them all. Today I want to bring one to your attention you just may have missed.  I've been reading The Survivalist Blog for a long time.  If you haven't run across it before, here's your chance!

 M.D. Creekmore is an interesting guy.  He has been living off grid on what he calls junk land (for some reason this ranks him pretty high for me!)  for quite some time now.   He tells you exactly how you could do the same thing .  He has written several articles on this subject alone.  Lots of information about homesteading can be found there as well as gardening, guns, food storage, medicine and all things preparedness.  The Survivalist Blog covers just about anything you might have questions about, and some you wouldn't even think of asking! 

One of my personal favorites is a weekly column he writes called  "What DID You Do To Prep This Week".   I absolutely LOVE this one!  I'm one of those people  who like to read what other folks are doing to prepare.  I guess I might be considered a voyeur when it comes to seeing what other preppers are up to.  It's great to know that there are lots and lots of other people trying to do the same things as I am.   I've picked up some really good tips and ideas there.

Right now Mr Creekmore  has a contest going on for anyone who has a blog, website, Facebook, or some other public medium. The winner will received an All Purpose Custom Knife from Sharp's Sadlery.  Is this thing a beauty or what?  This knife is sweet and really really needs to come and live with me! ( Really, I swear it whispered to me!)  So while you're out there surfing the net and looking for some good reading and prepping information you really need to stop by and check out The Survivalist Blog.  I promise you won't be disappointed!
                            ~~~ Hey I'm Just Sayin ... ~~~

Monday Blogs

Mondays always seem to be really busy in the blog-o-sphere.  So if you are looking for some great reading and some excellent blogs, look to your left under "Great Reading"  and click on one of them. I seriously doubt you will be disappointed. 



                     ~~~ Hey I'm Just Sayin' ... ~~~