Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Be prepared for anything!
This was going to be a long post about the flu AND making preparations for disaster. Now it's going to be a two parter, because otherwise it will be too long and people will keel over and do a faceplant into their keyboards reading it, and all my efforts to keep them safe and well will be wasted!
Here's the thing--I am generally happy, good to go, and lucky. But I am nervous about this oncoming winter. Will we have a flu pandemic? An economic crash? Extreme weather or natural disaster? Or just rolling blackouts in our power and shipping infrastructure because of fuel prices?
Seriously, we don't know what might happen. Heck, one of these days you might be sitting around saying, "Remember ol' Neon Nurse? She lived in that Lamar town, the one that got accidentally destroyed by the UFO crash."
So you never know. But spending time making some plans and gathering some useful goods might turn out to be A Very Good Thing later on. Feel free to chime in with your ideas! I know darn well I won't think of everything!
Let's start with the list of basic needs. Most important is air, but trying to make plans for what to do if the Earth's atmosphere is suddenly stripped away is beyond my scope of practice, so we'll skip that one.
WATER: Can't live without this! Luckily, it's the easiest and cheapest one to stockpile. You know all those plastic bottles you get milk, water and pop in every day? Wash them out, maybe rinse them in a little bleach water to be sure the water will still taste good when you open the bottle again, fill 'em up, and stick them on a shelf, in a closet or under the bed. Or yeah, sure, BUY some if you like that water better than tap. :) But you should probably have 1/2 a gallon per day per person set aside, for whatever period of time seems smart to you.
FOOD: What you stock up with depends on what means of cooking you might have if there is a long-term power outage. Got a camp stove, or a grill on the back porch? That can widen your options in canned goods considerably. I mean, you CAN eat cold Spaghetti-Os or chicken noodle soup...if you want. But if you don't want, make a list of things you like that can be eaten right out of the can or box without preparation, and stock up on those instead. Tuna, broth, fruit, peanut butter on crackers--stuff like that. Don't forget to buy extra pet food, too!
PERSONAL CARE GOODS: Everyone's list of what they just GOTTA have to get through the day is probably going to be different, but a few things should be on all the lists:
Toilet paper, for instance. Plastic bags for disposal of waste if your water is not working (all those ones you've saved from the store and a bucket = free no-water sanitary facilities!)
Over-the-counter medicines, like aspirin, Tylenol, decongestants, cough medicine. (At the first hint of a health crisis, those things will be GONE from the shelves. Stock up now.)
If you can afford it, it wouldn't hurt to have an extra bottle on hand of any prescription meds you take regularly. (Ask your health care provider if there's a chance to get a prescription for a 100 dose bottle instead of a 30--sometimes it's not even that much more.)
Toothpaste and deodorant.
Hand, dish and laundry soap.
OTHER USEFUL THINGS: Batteries for flashlights and radios. Cellphone. (I hear they are useful if the main phone system goes out. I don't have one myself, but I'm thinking of getting one of those pay-as-you-go kind.) Anti-germ masks (there are good deals on eBay--more on this later) First aid kit/supplies.
So that's a start. Make your list, start getting things a few at a time. An easy way to do it is, when you go to the store for something you need, buy two and save one back. When you use up the first one, buy another and then use that second one you bought earlier. That way nothing goes stale.
Here's the thing--I am generally happy, good to go, and lucky. But I am nervous about this oncoming winter. Will we have a flu pandemic? An economic crash? Extreme weather or natural disaster? Or just rolling blackouts in our power and shipping infrastructure because of fuel prices?
Seriously, we don't know what might happen. Heck, one of these days you might be sitting around saying, "Remember ol' Neon Nurse? She lived in that Lamar town, the one that got accidentally destroyed by the UFO crash."
So you never know. But spending time making some plans and gathering some useful goods might turn out to be A Very Good Thing later on. Feel free to chime in with your ideas! I know darn well I won't think of everything!
Let's start with the list of basic needs. Most important is air, but trying to make plans for what to do if the Earth's atmosphere is suddenly stripped away is beyond my scope of practice, so we'll skip that one.
WATER: Can't live without this! Luckily, it's the easiest and cheapest one to stockpile. You know all those plastic bottles you get milk, water and pop in every day? Wash them out, maybe rinse them in a little bleach water to be sure the water will still taste good when you open the bottle again, fill 'em up, and stick them on a shelf, in a closet or under the bed. Or yeah, sure, BUY some if you like that water better than tap. :) But you should probably have 1/2 a gallon per day per person set aside, for whatever period of time seems smart to you.
FOOD: What you stock up with depends on what means of cooking you might have if there is a long-term power outage. Got a camp stove, or a grill on the back porch? That can widen your options in canned goods considerably. I mean, you CAN eat cold Spaghetti-Os or chicken noodle soup...if you want. But if you don't want, make a list of things you like that can be eaten right out of the can or box without preparation, and stock up on those instead. Tuna, broth, fruit, peanut butter on crackers--stuff like that. Don't forget to buy extra pet food, too!
PERSONAL CARE GOODS: Everyone's list of what they just GOTTA have to get through the day is probably going to be different, but a few things should be on all the lists:
Toilet paper, for instance. Plastic bags for disposal of waste if your water is not working (all those ones you've saved from the store and a bucket = free no-water sanitary facilities!)
Over-the-counter medicines, like aspirin, Tylenol, decongestants, cough medicine. (At the first hint of a health crisis, those things will be GONE from the shelves. Stock up now.)
If you can afford it, it wouldn't hurt to have an extra bottle on hand of any prescription meds you take regularly. (Ask your health care provider if there's a chance to get a prescription for a 100 dose bottle instead of a 30--sometimes it's not even that much more.)
Toothpaste and deodorant.
Hand, dish and laundry soap.
OTHER USEFUL THINGS: Batteries for flashlights and radios. Cellphone. (I hear they are useful if the main phone system goes out. I don't have one myself, but I'm thinking of getting one of those pay-as-you-go kind.) Anti-germ masks (there are good deals on eBay--more on this later) First aid kit/supplies.
So that's a start. Make your list, start getting things a few at a time. An easy way to do it is, when you go to the store for something you need, buy two and save one back. When you use up the first one, buy another and then use that second one you bought earlier. That way nothing goes stale.
Monday, November 21, 2005
Onion pie!
I was telling a friend of mine about this, and since I already typed out the recipe for her, thought I might as well share it.
From Gladys Taber's Stillmeadow Kitchen:
The biscuit dough is made by sifting 2 cups flour with 2 level teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cut in 1/3 cup shortening, moisten with 1/3 cup milk. Mix the dough as usual, but knead twice as long.
For the filling, cook 8 thinly sliced onions in 3 tablespoons shortening until golden, but not brown. When slightly cool, spread thickly over the dough and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Beat 1 egg with 1/2 cup thin cream and pour over all. Bake 20 minutes at 450 degrees, or until the biscuit is well done and the filling slightly brown. If you wish, the pie may be covered with previously broiled bacon strips before serving.
***
Sadly, I have developed a sensitivity to onions and eating this now would kill me daid. But if you like onions, it's super!
From Gladys Taber's Stillmeadow Kitchen:
The biscuit dough is made by sifting 2 cups flour with 2 level teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cut in 1/3 cup shortening, moisten with 1/3 cup milk. Mix the dough as usual, but knead twice as long.
For the filling, cook 8 thinly sliced onions in 3 tablespoons shortening until golden, but not brown. When slightly cool, spread thickly over the dough and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Beat 1 egg with 1/2 cup thin cream and pour over all. Bake 20 minutes at 450 degrees, or until the biscuit is well done and the filling slightly brown. If you wish, the pie may be covered with previously broiled bacon strips before serving.
***
Sadly, I have developed a sensitivity to onions and eating this now would kill me daid. But if you like onions, it's super!
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Picspamming you
Because we had to do so much overhaulage to swap out monitors and keep the clone connected, I decided I might as well go hog wild and finish the much needed task of rearranging and straightening out my work space. I had just a little trouble getting all the extra peripherals back where they had been--we have too many gewgaws!
So I needed to take a quick picture and upload it to make sure my camera cord's USB end was in a functional slot. (It was.)
While we were still babying Caro's weird monitor along, we were not turning it or the computer off at night. But the glow bothered Mike, so we took to blocking the screen with a paper box lid. And then I got the idea that the box lid should match the wallpaper:
So I needed to take a quick picture and upload it to make sure my camera cord's USB end was in a functional slot. (It was.)
While we were still babying Caro's weird monitor along, we were not turning it or the computer off at night. But the glow bothered Mike, so we took to blocking the screen with a paper box lid. And then I got the idea that the box lid should match the wallpaper:
Saturday, November 19, 2005
Harry Potter Hilarity
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Picture yourself helping out!
Here's a great idea from MoveOn.org!
Help Stop the Reverse Robin Hood Budget: Take a Photo
This is the link that tells all about it: http://political.moveon.org/budgetaction/photos/
The idea is to submit a picture for their page to help send the message of not reducing needed care programs while giving more tax breaks to millionaires.
Here's mine!
Then go check out all the pics--some of them are very cool!
Help Stop the Reverse Robin Hood Budget: Take a Photo
This is the link that tells all about it: http://political.moveon.org/budgetaction/photos/
The idea is to submit a picture for their page to help send the message of not reducing needed care programs while giving more tax breaks to millionaires.
Here's mine!
Then go check out all the pics--some of them are very cool!
Have you seen these?
Just an interesting article on why people in some areas affix stuffed animals or toys to the grill of their vehicles. It's New York Times, so you might need to go to Bugmenot.com for a password (if you hate registering).
"Grille-mounted stuffed animals form a compelling yet little-studied aspect of the urban streetscape, a traveling gallery of baldly transgressive public art. The time has come not just to praise them but to ask the big question. Why?"
Don't forget to look at the pictures!
"Grille-mounted stuffed animals form a compelling yet little-studied aspect of the urban streetscape, a traveling gallery of baldly transgressive public art. The time has come not just to praise them but to ask the big question. Why?"
Don't forget to look at the pictures!
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Learn something new every day
So I got up and went to that meeting today, the Prowers Country Development Inc group, which as I suppose you can imagine is an organization dedicated to helping our area prosper. The reason the Dems want me to infiltrate attend is so that we can increase our public visibility by finding out what hot projects are going on, and joining in. It was actually surprisingly interesting.
Except for the recurring distraction of my bra. See, I left getting ready to go until the last minute (big shocker there, eh?) and the bra I grabbed up was one with a little flaw in the edging material that is sewn to the soft, stretchy stuff. This particular bit was the inside of the right arm hole. When I put it on and started to secure it, what HAD been a little flaw suddenly became a BIG one. But I thought, "What the heck, it's not that big a deal and I'm going to be LATE...."
Except it turns out that the non-stretchy cotton edging tape is pretty much what makes the comfy, stretchy material do its job of, uh, containment. It happened to be very lucky that I also chose to wear a big, squashy, nubbly-yarned purple sweater. Because without the help of the edging strip, the whiny crybaby stretchy material just GAVE UP, and instead of clinging steadfastly to its job, started creeping sideways. First I had very limited support on the right. Then I had, basically, what probably would have looked like two half-breasts, or a large dinner roll, under my shirt if not for the faithful nubbly sweater. I ended wearing a bit of lingerie that would have been quite appropriate for the legendary Amazons....
I guess it's true, though, that any time you join a new group it takes a while to develop support.
Except for the recurring distraction of my bra. See, I left getting ready to go until the last minute (big shocker there, eh?) and the bra I grabbed up was one with a little flaw in the edging material that is sewn to the soft, stretchy stuff. This particular bit was the inside of the right arm hole. When I put it on and started to secure it, what HAD been a little flaw suddenly became a BIG one. But I thought, "What the heck, it's not that big a deal and I'm going to be LATE...."
Except it turns out that the non-stretchy cotton edging tape is pretty much what makes the comfy, stretchy material do its job of, uh, containment. It happened to be very lucky that I also chose to wear a big, squashy, nubbly-yarned purple sweater. Because without the help of the edging strip, the whiny crybaby stretchy material just GAVE UP, and instead of clinging steadfastly to its job, started creeping sideways. First I had very limited support on the right. Then I had, basically, what probably would have looked like two half-breasts, or a large dinner roll, under my shirt if not for the faithful nubbly sweater. I ended wearing a bit of lingerie that would have been quite appropriate for the legendary Amazons....
I guess it's true, though, that any time you join a new group it takes a while to develop support.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
The end of the day
OK, so I didn't get that much e-corresponding done.... Still, here are a few snippets to hold us all until *mumble?*
Today when I went out to the car to go get Mike from the bus stop and Cowboy from the vet's (in that order, yes), I was surprised to see a jack rabbit bound out of hiding on our lawn and boing down the driveway. They are unmistakable, way bigger than our usual cottontails, with SuperSized black-tipped ears. I have no idea where it came from; we've lived here 20 years and it's the first one I've seen in the area.
Cowboy was glad to be allowed to come home, and kept trying very hard to let us know he was sorry for whatever he did that made us send him off to That Place. Poor old feller. His teeth look a lot better now, though.
The wind finally died down and the only thing that needed setting right was for Mike to fetch one of our wheelbarrows from the bar ditch across the road. Except it's COLD right now, 18 degrees! Yay, crazy weather (not).
Our local Democrat group signed up to be part of the big nationwide conference call kick-off for 2006, and we got to hear good old Howard Dean give a little speech and answer a few questions. Man, technology is cool! He praised Colorado in particular and said all the states should follow our example, so we were chuffed! After the phone call, we sat around talking and kicking around plans and ideas, and yes, I got some new assignments to go with my job as county WebWonk. :/ One of which is to attend a meeting in the morning, so I can't stay up as late as I was going to. Hence some of the lack of replies and email.
In closing, two funny things. One is a joke Howard told--after the election results came in out in California, they've started calling Gov. Ahnuld the One-Term-inator.
The other funny thing is the fake name on one of those Nigerian style spam-phish letters I got yesterday: Boris Loginov! I just stared and then started laughing. How does this guy expect us potential fraud victims to take him seriously when he goes around making up such slyly computer-referential names?
Today when I went out to the car to go get Mike from the bus stop and Cowboy from the vet's (in that order, yes), I was surprised to see a jack rabbit bound out of hiding on our lawn and boing down the driveway. They are unmistakable, way bigger than our usual cottontails, with SuperSized black-tipped ears. I have no idea where it came from; we've lived here 20 years and it's the first one I've seen in the area.
Cowboy was glad to be allowed to come home, and kept trying very hard to let us know he was sorry for whatever he did that made us send him off to That Place. Poor old feller. His teeth look a lot better now, though.
The wind finally died down and the only thing that needed setting right was for Mike to fetch one of our wheelbarrows from the bar ditch across the road. Except it's COLD right now, 18 degrees! Yay, crazy weather (not).
Our local Democrat group signed up to be part of the big nationwide conference call kick-off for 2006, and we got to hear good old Howard Dean give a little speech and answer a few questions. Man, technology is cool! He praised Colorado in particular and said all the states should follow our example, so we were chuffed! After the phone call, we sat around talking and kicking around plans and ideas, and yes, I got some new assignments to go with my job as county WebWonk. :/ One of which is to attend a meeting in the morning, so I can't stay up as late as I was going to. Hence some of the lack of replies and email.
In closing, two funny things. One is a joke Howard told--after the election results came in out in California, they've started calling Gov. Ahnuld the One-Term-inator.
The other funny thing is the fake name on one of those Nigerian style spam-phish letters I got yesterday: Boris Loginov! I just stared and then started laughing. How does this guy expect us potential fraud victims to take him seriously when he goes around making up such slyly computer-referential names?
Semi-productive day
I had to be up sort of early this morning to drive Cowboy to the vet to have his grungy old teeth cleaned, so I thought, "Great! It will be a jolly productive day and I will get a lot done!"
Except instead I remembered I needed to upgrade the insulation by the window-mounted air conditioner (that is to say, slap a bunch more tape on top of the old and no longer sticky tape only halfway holding in the plexiglass filler in the top half of the window). It is now officially fall here on the High Plains, the season being traditionally ushered in by a day or two of continual wind in excess of 30 mph. Except today the wind feels like it's about 3 degrees, which explains why double layers of EVERYTHING wasn't helping me stay warm.
But now the job is all done. I am going to eat me some nice homemade beef vegetable soup and then go fetch Cowboy home, and maybe this afternoon I will get to do some of the online stuff I've been looking forward to.
We'll see.
Except instead I remembered I needed to upgrade the insulation by the window-mounted air conditioner (that is to say, slap a bunch more tape on top of the old and no longer sticky tape only halfway holding in the plexiglass filler in the top half of the window). It is now officially fall here on the High Plains, the season being traditionally ushered in by a day or two of continual wind in excess of 30 mph. Except today the wind feels like it's about 3 degrees, which explains why double layers of EVERYTHING wasn't helping me stay warm.
But now the job is all done. I am going to eat me some nice homemade beef vegetable soup and then go fetch Cowboy home, and maybe this afternoon I will get to do some of the online stuff I've been looking forward to.
We'll see.
Friday, November 11, 2005
You betcha we do
I complain a lot about our cluttery house. It's true that for quite a few years we have kept going to auctions and yard sales, even though available space to put the resulting loot was getting harder and harder to find. We have eyes bigger than our dwelling's square footage, I guess.
But it's still neat to be able to open about any random box and (re)find treasure. I did that a couple weeks ago, and when I spotted half a dozen Sears and Wards catalogs from the 60s, I decided it should be this box's turn to have its contents put on the market.
Down at the bottom of the box there was a smaller cardboard box, like handkerchiefs or scarves used to come in, neatly marked "Keep". The item on top was a darkly yellowed newspaper clipping, about how men coming back from the war (WWI) were likely to now have different expectations of their wives and of marriage in general. Then there were layers of postcards, some mailed, some carried home as souvenirs (New York! The Wonder City!), followed by a divorce decree. OK, now the clipping made sense. Next were more postcards and very old snapshots of farm equipment, and finally a drivers license and an obituary of the guy. He settled in a nearby town, worked for the railroad, eventually remarried, and was a pillar of his small community until he died in 1977.
So that was the story of one guy who went to the Great War, as told by the little snippets of keepsakes sold at auction to settle the estate for distant (as in both definitions of the word) relations. I thought it was a good one to share for Veterans Day.
I wish all the soldier boys (and girls!) love and happy endings.
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
*blear*
OK, I've been sitting here in the same spot, minus maybe 45 minutes worth of breaks, for...gosh, almost 15 hours.
That's right, it was another Special eBay Listing Day! I got a late start, but still managed to put on 143 things up for sale. And since it's a Buy It Now day, I already sold 6 of them!
The reason I do it is because the fee is lowered so much--today it was just a dime a time. Which isn't THAT big a savings off the 35 cent rate, true, but is a big old HONKING savings off the cost of items in the $100 range, which are normally $2.40 a pop. So it does seem worth it, economically speaking.
I even quit a little early, because for the first time in quite a while, the eBay servers got all flaky under the onslaught of all the frantic listing going on. I didn't so much LIST my last dozen or so auctions as HAMMER them in like tent pegs into hardpan!
So I am going to bed now, like a sensible person. (As though I have ANY clue as to what a sensible person does at any given point in real life!)
That's right, it was another Special eBay Listing Day! I got a late start, but still managed to put on 143 things up for sale. And since it's a Buy It Now day, I already sold 6 of them!
The reason I do it is because the fee is lowered so much--today it was just a dime a time. Which isn't THAT big a savings off the 35 cent rate, true, but is a big old HONKING savings off the cost of items in the $100 range, which are normally $2.40 a pop. So it does seem worth it, economically speaking.
I even quit a little early, because for the first time in quite a while, the eBay servers got all flaky under the onslaught of all the frantic listing going on. I didn't so much LIST my last dozen or so auctions as HAMMER them in like tent pegs into hardpan!
So I am going to bed now, like a sensible person. (As though I have ANY clue as to what a sensible person does at any given point in real life!)
Monday, November 07, 2005
Ware the germs!
Well, at least now I know why I was having DUH-days on Thursday and Friday, where I could barely manage the simplest things. I was gearing up to get good and sick. Just a cold thing, happily, and now that I've spent most of the weekend in bed, I am perking up a little. Still, I'm not going to try to do much more than catch up on email and my blog...so not only must you beware the germs, but the multiple posts and mailings!!
One of the things I have been planning to write about is the flu epidemic people are worrying about. I think it IS something to get prepared for. If it turns out nothing much happens, oh well, no harm done, right?
1. Keep your health level high. Do all that stuff people have been telling you about since health class in grade school. Get a flu shot--it won't stop the Bird flu, but it lowers the chance you will catch it while your body is still exhausted from fighting off the regular flu. Wash your hands, try to avoid sick people, wear a mask...in general, start with the good common sense stuff.
2. Supplements can be your friend. You probably already have favorite ones, but one to for sure get and double up on (don't worry, you can't overdose) if you think you've been exposed to a virus is L-Lysine. It is an amino acid, found naturally in normal human food, and it interferes with the reproductive process of many common viruses. I personally take it to keep from having herpes-type cold sore outbreaks.
What you DON'T want to eat when you are trying to get rid of a virus is nuts or chocolate, which are rich in Arginine, which HELPS the virus reproduce. Yeah, I know that sucks. Sorry.
3. Stock up. What with one thing and another (gas prices, crazy weather, possible killer flu pandemic causing random towns to panic and set up quarantines and road blocks), normal supply patterns could get disrupted. This is a particular concern for me, since we live a LONG way from the bigger cities which are key distribution points for consumer goods.
So what I have started doing is grabbing some extra stuff on every trip to the store. Canned chicken broth will be coming on sale soon--I plan to get a LOT of that. I just bought a 20 bag of rice and will probably snag a big one of flour one of these times. And hey, if we don't end up using them? The homeless shelter will get a nice gift in the spring!
A friend of mine, Kip W, gave out a link to a big overview site which has all the data you can use and then some, if you want to check it out:
Flu Wiki
One of the things I have been planning to write about is the flu epidemic people are worrying about. I think it IS something to get prepared for. If it turns out nothing much happens, oh well, no harm done, right?
1. Keep your health level high. Do all that stuff people have been telling you about since health class in grade school. Get a flu shot--it won't stop the Bird flu, but it lowers the chance you will catch it while your body is still exhausted from fighting off the regular flu. Wash your hands, try to avoid sick people, wear a mask...in general, start with the good common sense stuff.
2. Supplements can be your friend. You probably already have favorite ones, but one to for sure get and double up on (don't worry, you can't overdose) if you think you've been exposed to a virus is L-Lysine. It is an amino acid, found naturally in normal human food, and it interferes with the reproductive process of many common viruses. I personally take it to keep from having herpes-type cold sore outbreaks.
What you DON'T want to eat when you are trying to get rid of a virus is nuts or chocolate, which are rich in Arginine, which HELPS the virus reproduce. Yeah, I know that sucks. Sorry.
3. Stock up. What with one thing and another (gas prices, crazy weather, possible killer flu pandemic causing random towns to panic and set up quarantines and road blocks), normal supply patterns could get disrupted. This is a particular concern for me, since we live a LONG way from the bigger cities which are key distribution points for consumer goods.
So what I have started doing is grabbing some extra stuff on every trip to the store. Canned chicken broth will be coming on sale soon--I plan to get a LOT of that. I just bought a 20 bag of rice and will probably snag a big one of flour one of these times. And hey, if we don't end up using them? The homeless shelter will get a nice gift in the spring!
A friend of mine, Kip W, gave out a link to a big overview site which has all the data you can use and then some, if you want to check it out:
Flu Wiki
