Proof Reading My OCD compulsion

Growing up an only child of divorced parents in an extended upper middle class family, I was taught at a young age that proper use of English made the difference in how people treated you, whether it was the spoken language or the written. It wasn't until I got to college that I finally 'got' the written language. The most important information the professor told us was: There are more ways to write a sentence correctly, than there are to write it incorrectly. That professor ruined me for life.

Ever since that class, I cannot read the newspaper, search articles online for information, or even simply check out a website or advertisement without finding spelling and/or grammatical errors. I drive my children and husband crazy with my almost obsessive compulsive behavior about spelling and grammar. I recently told my daughters new boyfriend that I couldnt understand how he managed to graduate after I proofread his college paper. I have stopped going to our local news stations websites due the lack of written news. I spent an entire year emailing them with an offer of proofreading services at half the cost of their copywriters, but never heard anything. Apparently, they prefer their stories to be lackluster and full of mispellings and errors.

Obviously, everyone is going to make a mistake here and there, and these minor infractions are not what gets my goat. Its the mistakes that spell check doesnt catch, but every child with a 6th grade education can. I thought about starting a proofreading company. My father suggested I find websites with errors and send them an email pointing out 5 and offering my services for a price. Frankly, I just don't know where to start.

So, if any of you who happen to come across my site ever has need of an off-site proofreader, HERE I AM!

IMPENDING DOOM - Supplies Part 2

I write this as we contemplate the nuclear capabilities of nations such as North Korea and Iran. It seems that the war-makers in our capital are eager to provoke a war with at least one of these countries and tensions are running high. On the other hand, we have dramatic weather changes happening on a world-wide scale. Also, many of the leading authorities on predictions and remote viewing are sure that we have very hard times ahead.

I am once again being pushed into completing a project I had hoped would not come to fruition: Preparations for Impending Doom. It does not matter how our country is brought down, that the time is coming for great change is more important. So whether you believe that the US will enter into a war with Iran that will destabilize the world, or that the comet Mabus is returning after a few thousand years to throw rocks at our planet, or that the people of this great land will rise up and take control of an out-of-control government is of little concern. That the coming changes are imminent is.

By my best estimates at this time, I am planning for a minimum of 3 months of provisions for twice the amount of immediate family. I feel that this is a much safer way to plan.

Try this Math for your own estimates:

Number of people expected at your Easter Sunday Dinner. Count this as your immediate family. If you do not get together with family, or celebrate Easter, pick an occasion that is family oriented. Now DOUBLE IT. Easy as one-two-three!

Why double it you ask? Ever heard of party crashers? Or the parable of the ants and the grasshopper? How many unsuspecting friends or disbelievers do you know? How many others do you know that are planning for an event of this magnitude? Zip, Zero, Nada I bet. So, be a good little ant and be prepared.

Now, lets start with a scenario that is different from my previous posts. NO WARNING! In reality, does anyone really expect to get any kind of warning for an asteroid impact or military police state? Of course not. So, make due with what you have. I am sure you can think of at least one person who does not live near a major city, airport, or military base. That is your safe haven. Do not feel required to notify them of your concerns, do not ask permission to arrive unannounced in the event of a catastrophe. You will be welcome if you make it there and come with supplies. Trust me.

So, with a destination or two in mind, get a detailed map. Start marking all possible routes with color coded pens. First mark the obvious routes. The ones that you would use now. Those are to be avoided. Then mark secondary routes, the ones you would take if you were going to sight see on the way. These will be useful. Then mark routes that are off the beaten path so-to-speak. Routes that will take you over bumpy roads that go nowhere near a good sized city. (note here, any city or town that has a Walmart is to be avoided. Walmart builds where there are enough people to shop. Enough shoppers means enough people to warrant a military prescence.) Once you have several alternate routes, start memorizing them. Check your map daily.

Basic supplies that will make you welcome anywhere:
Water, Medicines and medical supplies, food and water, shovels, axes, other tools, personal hygiene products, your own blankets and tents, clothing of all sizes, needles and thread, your own place settings, soap, seeds, self-charging radio (wind up).
If you have half or most of these, even strangers will welcome you after a few minutes of sizing up. Most important of all is your willingness to throw in and help out.

For those of you who are planning on staying put, you have the advantage. I will use myself as an example. I have divided my supplies into catagories: Vital, Necessary, Convenient. Obviously Vital items are those that you simply must have to sustain life. Necessary are needed for survival, and Convenient items are items that would make life easier.

VITAL:

My vital items include a small generator, preferrably one that I can use solar power with. I must have a small amount of electricity for medical equipment. Of course, all medicines and supplies are at the top of this list. Plan accordingly if you can. I have well water and a cistern so I think it is vital to improve the cistern by adding a filtration cover and fixing my collection system. It is also vital that I update the holding tank for my well water as it is way too small for my current family size of 6. I also need to add a hand pump system to the well that we can use if/when the electricity doesnt work. I am actually in the process of adapting a popular design I found on the WEB to work with a treadle sewing machine base instead of the normal hand pump. The idea is that anyone can sit and use their feet to 'pump' water into the holding tank. No major arm strength needed, and even those older family members can help out with this. My last two vital items concern cooking and heating. A wood burning stove and or fireplace is a must. I also need to consider that 6 months out of the year, we need to heat this drafty old house. I currently have a gas furnace with hot water heat. I would need to devise a way to use a wood burner to heat the water that runs through our radiators. A subconcern would be our small, old chimney. A thorough inspection of your chimney should be done every few years if you dont have a fireplace, every year if you do. These items would take care of our most immediate, life-threatening needs.

NECESSARY

It is necessary to be able to provide for those people who end up staying with you. While everyone must chip in to do everything that needs done, if your home is 'base camp', it is your responsibility to think of everything. Food, Water, and Clothing are my necessities. Start by planting a garden. If you are space limited, use indoor containers or your current flower beds. My sister in law grows tomatoe plants in her windows by using a plastic ice cream bowl. She cuts a small hole in the bottom and plants them upside down. She only has to be able to get water into the top, and the tomatoes plants bush out from the bottom. Way Cool idea! Plant your basic veges that can be canned (If you dont know how, any older generation female would love to teach you, and you can get some great tips from them too on how things were before cell phones and mass transit systems) Dont forget to plant herbs. Roughing it in an emergency shouldnt mean flavorless food! Herbs can be dried and saved for a year or more. When stocking up on my three month supply of food, I also have to consider storage, shelf-life, and security. These three go hand in hand. There are many resources on what and how much to buy, so I will not go into that here. What I will discuss is how and where to store things. All items need to be stored in sealed, solid color containers. While clear plastic is tempting when picking out containers since you can visually see what is inside, light can harm some foods so stick with your colored containers and buy a Sharpie to mark them with the contents and the date. Use the date to know when you need to rotate items out of storage and into regular use always keeping in mind to rotate your stock! Probably the most important part of stocking up for emergencies is SECURITY! You do not want to go spend your life savings buying food to store. This is a like flashing a big neon sign that says you are hording. In a state of emergency, the gov't. will have the right and ability to confiscate your stock and they will if all your neighbors, or grocers know you have it. Stock up slowly. Start buying twice as much as you normally do. Put half away in your marked storage containers, and just keep doing it. Within a few months, you'll be surprised how much you have stocked up. Once you have reached your calculated 3 month stock, just buy normally and rotate the out of date back into your regular routine. But dont forget to replace it! The other portion of security is to store your stockpile well out of site of nosy kids, neighbors and militia. You only want to share by choice, not at gunpoint!

Learning how to purify water is a must! Include a supply of bleach in your stockpile. It is the easiest tried and true way to kill all kinds of nasty things in your water. Do not buy the Ultra type of bleach. Every Health Dept. across the nation will tell you it is not foodsafe! Besides, the standard old-fashioned kind is cheaper.

Clothing can become a huge issue when you have a large group assembled. Men and children especially will be hard on the clothing they have. Hopefully you will have at least one person in your group who knows how to sew. It would be even better if they can use a treadle sewing machine. I personally prefer to sew on them, but most people now a days only know how to use an electric one. Since we cannot depend on having electricity, it is a good idea to have at least one treadle around. If you go to auctions, you can usually pick up a decent machine for between 10 and 50 dollars. Go ahead and pick one up, get lots of extra needles, and buy thread, then just let it sit 'on display' in your home. If the time comes that you need it, you will definately be glad you bought it. As a special favor to me, though, please do not use it as a plant stand! Plant pee has a way of ruining a wooden cabinet in a way that 100 years of use has never done! As clothing gets worn out beyond the repairable stage, recycle it. The worst of the fabric can be used as rags, the rest can be used for smaller clothes,blankets, bags, gloves, etc. Unfortunately, you will have to replace some clothes. Therefore, while you are able to shop, make use of local fabric stores and pick up heavy duty fabric when it is on sale. Buy remnants, or check the local Goodwill stores for used linens. These too can be stored away. And who knows, maybe you will find time in your regular life to practice sewing on your display treadle just so you are familiar with it.

CONVENIENCE

Okay, here is where things get fuzzy. It would be convenient if the electric stayed on, but then if the economy is bad, how do you pay for it? If you get or have a large generator, you have to purchase and store large quantities of fuel. These things are convenient, but how easy will they be to come by? Entertainment, lighting, communication, and transportation would all be low on my list of preparations. There are so many what-ifs when you get to this point that it is extremely difficult to plan for these areas. If you do manage to get to this point, CONGRATULATIONS! You are now prepared for anything.

One last thing. For all your preparations, you will probably still need help from others. Get to know a few select neighbors. Ones you are sure would stay put in a serious situation. I have a dairy farmer for a neighbor. He only has one or two employees. In an impending doom situation, he would probably need help to keep his farm going. Offer assistance with his daily duties in exchange for things like fresh milk or part of a cow for food. Let him know you are willing to help keep his property and livestock secure if he helps out with some of your needs.

While I have given an outline of things I think should be done, I have not even scratched the surface. I am also sure that I have forgotten very important items. If you have hints, plans, or vital information to add - PLEASE DO! Comments are open to everybody.