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In 2019 our safe little world seemed to be doing okay. It took a while to bounce back from 9/11, Iraq, and Afghanistan, but it felt like things were winding down a bit. It didn’t take up near as much news time as a few years earlier. The focus was on the president and election chaos, and people quickly started to turn a deaf ear to what was beginning to be a nightmare.

December of 2019 when Christmas lights were blinking and Santa was trying to figure out who was naughty and nice, a rumor started in China. My friend Rolland started to whisper in my ear that I’d better pay attention. There was a virus starting to spread and no one was taking it seriously. The rest is history as they say. 2020 came in with a bang and things have never been the same.

If you remember I began to tell you that we need to be prepared, both for our families, neighborhoods and communities. Now many things are out of our control. You can’t stop a solar flare from taking out the power grid or a hurricane from slamming into coastal areas. We can’t (at least not yet) stop the march of global warming or how crazy the world seems to have gotten in the last two years. Here are the things that concern me.

• Economic changes such as food prices, housing, gasoline, utilities, medical needs
• Education, community unrest, displaced persons, crime, politics

If you dwell on these things, you can rob yourself of joy. But there are things you can do which I will continue to share over the next few weeks. Let’s refresh what you can control.

1. Keep cash on hand. How much depends on your situation. Some say 5k would be a good start. Banks might struggle if there is a major power failure leaving you without funds. Or maybe there is a national emergency that would close their doors. Start saving where you can.   
2. Plant a garden. This is the time of year to really go all out. When my friend see’s my garden he isn’t happy. He insists I plant less flowers and more vegetables. Learn to can, freeze, vacuum-seal the things you dehydrate if possible. I’ll admit I’m better at flowers than green beans, but I’ve been switching over the last few years. It is delicious too.
3. When you go to the grocery store instead of buying a can of corn, buy two or three, especially if something on your shopping list is on sale. Stock up!
4. Gasoline: Keep your tank topped off after it uses about a fourth of a tank. If you see the price drop—top it off. Be ready in an emergency. It is comforting to know you are prepared.
5. Water: Things to have on hand is several 5-gallon containers. If a storm is predicted to knock out power (maybe to the water treatment plant or busted water systems) fill them up. Take showers, then fill up the bathtub so you’ll have water to flush. I also have rain barrels for my downspouts. In the summer Oklahoma gets hot and dry. I use the water on my garden. In a national or community emergency I can use it other places. Put gallon jugs of water along with those cases of bottled water you keep in the refrigerator in the garage or your closet. Who is going to see it anyway?
6. Light: Keep plenty batteries, flashlights and LED lanterns around. Candles are good too but if you have pets and little kids, better decide now how to keep those out of reach so you don’t burn down anything. There are a lot of solar batteries on the market now so you can use those for lanterns, cell phones, flashlights, computers etc. Keep them on hand.
7. Take inventory now! What do you have in case of a national emergency? Saying things like “what will be will be,” is great until you’re hungry, thirsty, out of money and the kids are crying because they’re sick. Which reminds me. Next time I’ll talk about medical supplies.

I know no one wants to think about this stuff. No one wants to think world leaders would do something crazy—BUT THEY DO. You look at the night sky and see the Northern Lights, not realizing the solar explosion from the sun created that beauty. It could just as easily fry our communication systems. I’m a very optimistic person as a rule in spite of the news, geopolitical conflict, virus-number-whatever, and don’t get me started on plate tectonics!

NERD ALERT! Sorry. I was a geography teacher so it’s to be expected I know that. Probably one of the few people who has an app on their phone to let me know when there’s an earthquake or volcanic eruption anywhere in the world.

Get busy and make a list, a plan and stock up. If you didn’t read the other blog posts on prepping from me, scroll back to 2020 for those. I bet some of you know exactly what to say if this guy shows up. I’ve been practicing since I was a little girl and saw him on TV. Pays to PREP!

And if you’re looking for a positive place to land on Facebook try my reader group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2430789897157949  We have a lot of fun.