My Blog

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As you know by now, a pandemic, political and social unrest can change everything. Never did I imagine I could go to a bank, wearing a mask and ask for money! My friends in big cities have sent me pictures of grocery store shelves nearly empty. The price of gas has fallen because people just aren’t getting too far from home. Although that is money in our pockets, it also means our economy is in serious trouble. We hesitate to return to our places of worship because not everyone agrees with wearing a mask. The whole wear-a-mask idea has divided us more than I thought possible. Does it work? Is it a hoax? Science? Facts? Freedom? Media?

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It all sounds like a made for TV movie—except it is real.

The fact remains there are some serious problems and they are not getting any better. In my earlier posts I mentioned some of the dangers we need to keep an eyeball on. Just to remind you, or check that 2020 Bingo card some are keeping, here is what we know so far.

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1. Covid 19 Pandemic 
2. Media bias                                            
3. Economy collapses                                               
4. Political Chaos
5. Medical services hampered                               
6. Elections
7. Riots, looters, urban center takeovers           
8. Asteroids
9. Crime on the rise                                                
10. Locusts
11. Unemployment                                                    
12. Killer Hornets

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That is the short list. I understand some Bingo cards have zombies, Godzilla and aliens. And this week we may have two hurricanes converging in the Gulf of Mexico. Maybe this would also make a great board game. And just recently this has been in the news.

1. Drought
2. Wild Fires
3. American farmers lost 30% of this year’s corn crop because of a mega storm
4. Earthquake swarms
5. Floods
6. Schools remain closed or restricted

But the good news is that you still have time to prep if the September and November asteroids hit (I know you don’t have that filled on your Bingo card). If more trucking companies keep their promises of not going to areas that defund or support police, you can get what you need now. Lots of predictions out there about November and the possibilities of more sickness starting about that same time. What can you do?

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First if you haven’t read posts 1-5, you should go back and do that now. Today I’m going to talk about some of the basic equipment you might want on hand. START NOW in getting ready. What if one of those asteroids hits the power grid? Here is a small list of some of my likes.

1. Midland Walkie Talkies
2.  8×10 heavy duty tarp
3. 5 gallon water container (You decide how many you need).
4. Solar batteries
5. Solar lanterns (remember that most flashlights are LED and an EMP event will render them useless unless the batteries have been placed in a faraday cage.)
6. Faraday cage (This is a shield or enclosure used to block electromagnetic fields. You can actually build one fairly easily.)
7. Battery operated radio
8. Batteries
9. Rain Barrels
10. A GOOD medical kit or supplies
11. Things to barter (little bottles of booze, tobacco, coffee) in case you don’t have money.
12. Money – Not sure it will be any good but do you have some on hand in case you need it?
13. Dehydrator (You can also use it if some of your stocked up can goods that are about to expire. It will give you more time.)
14. Toilet tank repair kit
15.  Tire repair kit
16.  Home defense bug spray
17.  Eye glass repair kit
18.  Manual tools that don’t require electricity (Yankee screwdriver, brace and bit, hand saws, etc.)
19.  Although expensive, consider a generator. I like the solar ones, but I don’t have one yet.

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Don’t forget to have an assortment of nails, screws, nuts and bolts. You probably already have these in your garage or workshop. Take an inventory. It is important to ask yourself, if something catastrophic happened and you couldn’t go to a store to get what you needed, would you be prepared? What you have now may be all there is.

Garage and estate sales are a good place to look for old manual tools, nails, screw, etc. It is also a good place to get canning jars, gardening equipment and various supplies. 

That is probably enough of a list for you to start scouting for info. Remember those old towels and sheets you were going to get rid of might come in handy down the road. Things like canning supplies, heritage seeds for next year’s garden, (these were hard to find back in the spring) socks, underwear, Christmas presents, clothing, special occasion gifts should be on your radar. Not only are some stores selling out of these things, the prices keep going up because of “in demand” needs. Don’t forget school supplies! This is a great time to load up, especially if you are homeschooling.

A good pair of work boots is a must. One thing I never thought I’d want or need to consider is sensible shoes. Out with the leopard high heels to wear with those expensive jeans and replace them with a pair of colorful rain boots you can tromp through the garden next spring. They’re cute, right?

Hope this has helped you, remind you, and force you into being prepared. There are more important things to consider these days than whether or not you’re going to go out for dinner or a big party. Keep safe my friends.

This is where you can find the first post about prepping. Be informed.  https://www.tierneyjames.com/2020/03/confessions-of-an-ok-prepper-1/#comment-8443