Preparedness Experience Four

 I promised to share the experiences in my life that have taught me to "Be Prepared" throughout the month of September. Here is part four:

So far in this series, I've covered water, bugging out, and food emergencies. Today I'm going to focus on electricity.

 Where we live now has opened my eyes to the shakiness of the rural grid. There's been too many times to count when the power has been off for hours at a time. A vehicle accident involving a pole, a thunderstorm, a layer of ice, even a mischievous squirrel can cause a failure. Fortunately our linemen are quick to start repairs and a few hours later we're back in business. This particular memory reminds me that even quick repairs aren't always fast.

It was springtime 10 years ago and my daughter and I headed off to a bigger town an hour away to catch a musical and do some shopping. There was a storm forecast but nothing out of the ordinary for our area. The trip home was a grand display of nature's fury that was anything but ordinary, though. When we finally made it home, after dark, the power was out. I still wasn't really concerned and went to bed as usual. 

When I got up the next day there was still no electricity. I still was thinking it was no big deal and would be fixed sooner than later. I had no idea how widespread the outage was. At that time, we didn't have kids at home, farm animals or a deep freezer. I didn't even have to be concerned with pipes bursting or overheating because the outside temperatures were perfect for opening the windows. 

But the second full day without power was perturbing. Two days of going to work after a baby wipe bath was enough. By then, I knew the food in my fridge was going to be rotting, not to mention the fact that I couldn't flush the toilets but I COULDN'T FLUSH THE TOILETS. On the plus side, I had mastered charging up my Kindle and cell phone at work and metering their usage to make it to the next day.

Days three through five are a blur in my memory. I was driving to town after work every day to borrow a shower and living on peanut butter sandwiches. I do, however,  vividly recall the hour I spent filling up trash bags with all the food that went bad. That foolish expense was all because of my bad judgement of how long our power would be off. If I had only been open to the possibility of a longer outage, I could have borrowed some refrigerator space from a friend. 

Except for a planned outage for tree trimming, that's the longest I ever had to go without electricity. But now, with animals and freezers, I stay totally prepared for it to happen again. 

Preparedness Experience Number One

 I promised to share the experiences in my life that have taught me to "Be Prepared" throughout the month of September. Here is the earliest I can remember:

As I've mentioned in other posts, I grew up (age 3-12) in a home that didn't have running water. Our house had a well on a back porch. The hand pump handle was broken so the only way to get the water out was to drop a bucket down and then pull it up, hand over hand. So, we did have a constant supply. But that water was deemed unsafe to drink by the Health Department. While we could haul in buckets to heat for bathing and cleaning, our drinking water was off site. 

My grandparents lived about 3 miles away so once or twice a week my dad would drive to their home and fill up a five gallon bucket with drinking water. It sat on the kitchen floor with a dipper in it and we used it for drinking, cooking, and teeth brushing. We only had one bucket so he would take it when it got empty and refill it, leaving us with none until he returned. He did this rain or shine, freezing weather or warm. 

I have a vivid memory of one Sunday, late morning time, when my mom was cooking lunch and she emptied the bucket. My dad had to leave right away to get more water before my mom could finish the meal preparation. My sister and I were excited at the chance to see our grandparents so we went along for the ride. It was a nice sunny day and we were having a good time. Unfortunately, on the way home, our car broke down. We were able to walk the rest of the way but guess what didn't make it home- the water! Since we only had the one vehicle, my dad had to hunt someone up to help him get the car (and the water) home. My mom managed to get us fed for that meal but, from that time forward, I've known the importance of knowing how much water I have and how to get more if I need it!

Be Prepared

 September is here! Have you been as busy as I have? Between gardening, babysitting, doctor visits, and some short touristy trips, I've been swamped! When I switch the calendar over to September, I'm always reminded that Fall will be here soon. I start thinking about cooler weather and less sunlight. And my mind automatically goes into winter preparedness mode. Many times as a child I heard the grasshopper and ant stories. I think most of us are wired that way and that's a good reason that September is National Preparedness Month. 

 What do you think of when you hear the word "preparedness?" For some people, the thought conjures up images of Doomsday Preppers with camo outfits and bomb shelters. The likelihood of that happening isn't impossible, all you have to do is read the back of your Bible to know that. But I have so many experiences of more common scenarios that keep me thinking ahead. Some of these examples have given me the curse of anxiety and I've found that preparing for the worse has helped me to calm that. When you expect a bad situation and the reality turns out to be less traumatizing -because you were prepared- it can be such a blessing!

 Throughout the month I'll be sharing some specific times in my life where being prepared should have or did get me out of a bad time. I hope that you'll share your own tips and experiences in the comments so we can all learn from them.