Phoenix Rising

And out of the ashes the mystical and mythical Phoenix unfolds its wings and takes to the air, reborn, resurrected, renewed.

Note: Feel free to substitute the word God with whatever word works for you.

Well, 2007 certainly went down in a ball of flames. It seems that 2008 has started off with a renewed sense of hope, fellowship, and spirituality that I knew I was lacking. Wasn't it Mr. Lumpit who said "be careful what you wish for"?...okay, so the credit really goes to Disney, but I like Mr. Lumpit alot more! Several 'wishes' were granted to my family and I on December 17th, 2007. Before I tell you what happened, let me tell you what I felt I was missing in my life. Oh, and one more movie reference. That newest Noah's Ark movie....Evan Almighty, had a scene where the estranged wife is in a diner with the children and ends up speaking with God, Morgan Freeman, posing as a busboy. He explains that when people pray for patience, God gives them the opportunity to be patient. When people pray for strength, God gives them the opportunity to be strong. And so on. Very insightful.

In the summer of '07, my husband had recuperated to the point where he was going out to auctions with me (in his wheelchair) and was doing all the grocery shopping and cooking at home. We were starting to do well with the marketing of our little home based sewing machine repair business, and I was selling quite a few restored antique machines on 'that auction place'. Unfortunately, by fall, our house was being overrun by auction finds, and items that were just being held until the right person or time came along to sell them. In September, my husband started on this kick about moving. He didnt want to spend another winter in that big drafty, crooked house. I didnt want to pack and move all the stuff, so were at a stand still. When the holidays rolled around, we determined that we would have just a small gathering of 10 of us for Thanksgiving dinner (as opposed to the previous years total count of 26!) We had a fabulous time, and it was the last time I was truly joyful that year. I'll never forget the DUCK, but thats another story, mostly one of those corny stories told at every holiday for the next 50 years! I broke my foot and severely sprained my ankle that weekend. I have never felt such pain before, and I gave birth to 4 kids AND broke my back at 16! Anyway, I did not take to the crutches very well and for the first two weeks, managed to fall 10 times just trying to get to the bathroom. Since my husband wasnt walking very well even with his cane, we were quite the pair trying to get drinks and food while the kids were in school! After starving for the first 4 days, we decided that it was a reasonable idea to keep one child a day home from school. I mean, what good would we be to them if they came home and found us dead from malnutrition??!! Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating, but not too much. Being stuck in a chair for most of the day did nothing for my disposition. I became quite surly and began asking God 'why?' What did I do to deserve this?? Well, as of today, just a little over a month after our ordeal began, I am beginning to see his bigger plan. At least, I like to think there is some kind of plan to all this...

Monday, Dec. 17th, 2007 - 9pm - We ( by we, I mean the kids) had spent all day cleaning their rooms, the kitchen, and the living room. My oldest (17yo daughter) had just put the second load of laundry into the dryer, and my hubby was done messing around with the newest load of sewing machines and vaccuum cleaners we picked up. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flashing yellow light coming through the laundry room window. He asked the oldest of our 11yo twin boys to go see what it was. Suddenly, the son was screaming with his arms waving wildly above his head "FIRE" over and over. Somehow, I managed to be the first to the laundry room, crutches and all. I tossed the crutches and crawled across the floor to the dryer. There was a flame to the left and behind the dryer - right where the plug was. The flame was less than a foot tall. I asked for water, got the dryer shut off, and realized that the plug itself was arcing. I never had the chance to put water on it, not that it would have made a difference. My husband who was right behind me started pushing children out of the room telling them to get in the van. We all exited the room as the curtains went up. By the time I hit the hallway, the fiber board ceiling was on fire and the flames were traveling over my head across the ceiling. My youngest child tried to go out the back door, but when she opened the door, the portico (located exactly outside the laundry room) was also on fire. Apparently the fire traveled through the electric lines without ever blowing the breaker box....all confiscated by the insurance companies investigator. Hubby got our youngest, a 9 yo daughter, to just put her head down and run right past the burning laundry room and into his arms. I have never been so proud of her. As we got to the living room, hubby started barking out orders: Kiki, get the cell phones, call 911. Boys, get the coats and get in the van. Gabby get your shoes, get in the van. He looked at me, I looked at him. I heard the oldest on the phone, but in her confusion, she had used the house phone. Being that we collected the oddest vintage and antique items, the phone was a corded phone. Thankfully, we had switched it out from the rotary dial black one, to a tan push button! Being a good mom, I wouldnt leave before her, and being a good dad, hubby wouldnt either. I saw my shoe (the only one I could put on with my other foot broken) lying in the middle of the floor and stopped to put it on. The youngest couldnt find her shoes, so the oldest took hers off and threw them at her while telling the 911 operator that the 'f-ing house is on fire, I cannnot wait for you'. The three youngest went out the door. The oldest child slammed the phone down on the cradle (quite humorous considering its condition the next day) and started towards the door. My husband went first, I thought my oldest was right behind me, but it took her a couple seconds longer than it should have, but suddenly as I made it through the first set of doors onto the enclosed front porch, she was there. At that point, the front door to the porch flew open and my husband just stopped in his tracks. I later found out that he was prevented from moving by our chocolate lab who had just busted the steel door in. It took a couple of seconds to convince the dog to turn around and go back out. He was trained to be a wheelchair dog and so he felt it his job to make sure his person was safe. By this time, the whooosh of air from the front door, and the whooosh of air from the still open back door gave the fire everything it needed to spread quickly. It is about 15 feet from the first front door to the exit front door, and the entire porch was filled with thick black smoke. I pushed my daughter ahead of me (behind hubby) and we hobbled as fast as we could towards the fresh air. I remember seeing our 2 kittens on the porch with us, but there was no way I could grab them and use my crutches, so I hoped they would follow us out. When I got to the door, I couldnt breathe and I could barely see. The wheelchair ramp looked pretty slickery, so instead of trying to slowly crutch down it, I just threw my crutches and slid down on my knees. I crawled into the passenger side of the van, and started to count. Hubby. Baby. Twins. Kiki. WHAT?!? DOGS!!!!! The boys had ran past the flaming portico and retrieved the dog that was tied up outside for his potty break! My oldest was sitting on the floor between the two front seats crying and rocking. She looked up at me and said, 'I got Oscar, but couldnt find the kittens". That was what took her so long to follow me. Oscar is an orange tabby who had only been with us for a year. He hates change! She had seen him hiding under the dining room table and dove under there after him. Thankfully, we are in the very bad habit of never removing our keys from the ignition. Hubby started the van and very haphazardly backed us across the yard so we could look at the house and take stock. What we saw, just 10 minutes after we first noticed the flames, was disheartening. I knew in that moment that absolutely NOTHING in this world was as important as having every one of my children safely with me outside of that inferno.

Saturday, January 26th, 2008 1:11 am - We have been in our 'new' rental house for 12 days. There is literally no yard, but the landlord was happy to let us keep the animals anyway. Of course, we just wouldnt have rented otherwise. We've never caught the kittens, but have seen them occassionally when we go visit the remains of our house (also a rental). Looking back, and at the risk of sounding crass, if your house is going to catch fire, the week before Christmas is the best time. The community has been exceptionally caring, as have our family and friends. But I digress. I really want to tell you about the phoenix. See, as I sat in the van with my family that night watching 6 fire departments (the farthest from 20 miles away) fight a losing battle with that hundred year old tinderbox, I never once doubted that everything would turn out okay. Our neighbors brought us blankets, and shoes, and coats, and drinks. Some of our family and friends came to see if they could do anything, even just to hold our hands. Through it all, I just kept saying that I had everything I needed. I held each child as they mourned their newest realization of a loss: a favourite game, book, toy, stuffed animal. I smiled, and cried once, and smiled some more. I felt peaceful and strangely enough, joyful. My husband and I joked about getting to move without having to move anything. He even said that maybe the black cloud that has seemed to hang over us would leave now. I told him it better, or we were getting a divorce. We laughed. Over the past weeks (only 5?!?) we all remember something we lost. I cried twice for only a couple of minutes. The first time was after two weeks and I had finally gotten back on the internet and was looking at antique sewing machines on ebay. I missed my machines, so simple and sturdy and good. The second was toward the end of the third week. Every day my husband went out to the house to see if there was anything he could salvage. This day, he called me in tears himself to tell me that there wouldnt be anything useable left of my machines. He could gather the heads for me to use for parts (only possible, not probable) but the cabinets and attachments and doo dads, and miscellany were worthless. I now have a pile of burnt up indistinguishable machine heads sitting in my garage awaiting the day when I will get up the courage to start cleaning and disassembling them. I think that will have to be a school day. The kids shouldnt see me upset.

My favorite prayer has always been GOD, GRANT ME THE SERENITY TO ACCEPT THE THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE, THE COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN, AND THE WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE. I think I'm good on that one. My next prayer will be, GOD, EVERYTHING IS AS IT SHOULD BE. THANK YOU. No sense in asking for any more opportunities! We have found a church that seems like a good fit, they really practice what they are preaching...service. That is where I had felt the greatest need in my before the fire life. The need to do for others. Now, I think I have a place to grow in that area.

Everyone in the family (except me) is still having nightmares. Not about the fire exactly, but more about their newly discovered fears. I dont think the younger three had ever faced the possibility of losing someone in the family, and so now they are coming to me with these fears. The youngest is manifesting all her fear in the loss of the kittens. They are alive, but not living with us, so it feels the same to her. Thankfully, the school counselors and teachers are on top of things they are each meeting with someone weekly. It seems that since they have each admitted the nightmares to me, that the occurrences are diminishing. Talking helps.

We have gotten the first round of Thank You letters written and in their envelopes. Next week, we'll work on the rest. It is not enough to have learned to receive instead of give, we must also express our gratitude to those who so kindly went out of their way to give us a fresh start.

Myself, I hope that as the weeks turn into months, and the months turn into years, I can continue to look back and be glad for the abrupt change which has been wrought on our lives. The most poignant words I spoke after leaving the fire were to my husband as we lay in separate twins beds at my mother in law's house : We must have been really deaf, for God to have to do something so spectacular to get our attention. Well, so far, I have not forgotten to listen, and I hope I never do again.

And from the ashes, the Phoenix rose and took flight rising higher and higher to greet the new day.

ODD Transport

Q - How to transport an unlicensed bbq trailer across 2 state lines without using a pickup truck?

A- Flatbed truck.

This is a picture I took late this afternoon with my camera phone. (Neat little feature that camera! I never thought I'd use it.) Of Course there is a logical explanation for something of this nature, but for me, the picture says it all!

THE STORY

Okay, okay. Here's the scoop. I sold my husbands pig roaster today. YES I had his permission. It seems that there is a very lucky person in Illinois that will be receiving this as a gift from his employees next week. So the wonderful lady who made the shipping arrangements, calls me and says she has a driver heading through my area this afternoon, is there any company locally that could forklift it up on a flatbed. Luckily enough there was one just a scant 1/2 mile away. They kindly agreed to do the deed for us, and off we all went to meet up at the 'yard'. The driver pulled in late due to a 20 car pile up on I76, and we all took a look at his current load. There just happened to be about 10 very large I-beams on his truck already. After some discussion, it was determined that the best location for the pig roaster was atop the I-beams. So, I watched with crossed fingers and baited breath while the forklift operator picked up the 9ft long Roaster (on a trailer) and gently laid in atop the I-beams. It was at the precise moment when I let out my pent up breath that I remembered my new camera phone. Knowing that the givers of this gift would all get a kick out of seeing their present perched atop a load, I quickly took 3 pictures of the sight.

As my step-dad and I were leaving, I asked him if in all his years of work at a trailer fabrication company, he had ever seen a sight like that. He chuckled and said no. If I recall correctly, my exact words before we got back in our pickup truck were " I've never seen any shit like that before!" while laughing hard enough to pee my pants if it hadnt been so darned cold out.

So, I hope the new owner doesnt read this before he gets his present, but HE SURE MUST BE A GREAT GUY TO WORK FOR!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

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.

Surviving an Apocolypse in Today's World Part 1

I was planning on writing this as a book, of course it would have been a best seller, but have since decided that it would take too long. It has been my opinion for several years now that the Earth is in danger from something that has not happened yet. Yeah, I know, another crazy destruction of the world-as-we-know-it kook. Well, the more I research, the more people I talk to, the more I believe the feeling of doom and gloom is based on fact. I am not going to try to convince you that Armaggedon is coming in just a few short years, instead I am going to do my best to prepare you for what is to come. You can do your own research and come to your own conclusions if you are so inclined.

According to my research so far, (this is a very short synopsis of what I believe is going to happen) sometime in 2006, or at the latest, 2007, a series of comets will hit the earth. Now dont get excited yet, these will be small comets and will NOT kill off the whole world. They are only the precursor. Most of humankind will survive, repent, and then go on about their normal lives. The big deal is the second wave that will arrive about 5 years later. These comets will be worse. They will cause major tsunamis, wiping out quite a bit of coastline on the planet. Major volcanos will erupt, earthquakes will ensue and new land masses will develop. The poles will shift (they are already speeding up their move) and the earth will begin its next ice age.

Scared? I am. I have been petrified for years, but now that I have found corraborating theories, stories, prophecies, and evidence I am relieved to find that I had a good reason to be worried. So now lets get about the business of surviving. SURVIVING??? you ask, WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT TO SURVIVE? Surviving is what we humans do. It is in our very nature to take what is handed to us and turn it around to our benefit. I do not expect anyone to believe me, I am writing this now so that I can figure out what I can do to keep my family, friends and loved ones alive so we can help others survive and be there for the dawn of a new beginning. So we can teach our children a better way to live. So we can relearn how to love each other the planet we live on.

A new beginning. I think every person alive has thought about having a new beginning at least once. Some of us more often than others. Yes, I am positive that Mother Earth will survive as she always has, that this will be just another era in her infinate lifetime. Some humans will survive and get the opportunity to try to not screw it up again.

This post, or series of posts, will serve to get my sh*t in order. Once the first round of comets hits and we recover from it, I will begin implementing the plans I will lay out here. Sooooo onto the planning stages.

DETERMINING A HOLD OUT LOCATION

I live in America. America has extensive coastlines on 3 sides and the Great Lakes to the north of the eastern half of the country. If there are tsunamis, my current location will probably be safe, but will become awfully crowded as the eastern seaboard population moves west and away from the coast. I dont think anybody (except the people who live there) wants to stay on the west coast for earthquakes and tsunamis. So if we look at where our government has built its hideaways, and see if we can emulate that safely, it puts us in the Rocky Mountain area. John Denver moooove over! We're comin' in. Remember the movie from our youth, Red Dawn, where the Russians and Cubans invade by parachuting into the center of the country and moving outward? I think of that movie often, but our choice doesnt have to be that 'rough'.
I was married for 4 years before I found out that my husbands family owns a ranch in Colorado. Now, for this Midwestern girl a ranch (or farm as we call them) is HUGE if it is over 100 acres. The family ranch is several tens of thousands of acres. Upon hearing about this, I have spent hours grilling my husband about the physical attributes of the land, the wild life, the buildings, the fences, and the irrigation system. And can you guess what the most interesting attribute is? How about a MOUNTAIN in the center of the property? Now, this is by far the best possible thing that could be present for a few reasons. Firstly, it has a snowy top. That means that every spring there is an abundance of freshly melted snow running downhill. This is very important as there is not one single lake or pond (that hubby has seen) on the land. So we need to immediately address the need to collect and store as much of this water as possible as it would be our only source of fresh water. The second reason owning a mountain is fortuitous is that we can excavate it and build underground compounds. If the poles do shift, if there is an ice age, if, if , if, we may have the need to take deep shelter in order to survive. I think it was in the Mother Shipton's Prophecy that it states something to the effect of: "A woman will take shelter in the mountain for 1260 days." Sounds like a good plan to me. That womans prophecies have all come true and who am I to argue with her now.

NECESSITIES

Here is the really hard part. Now that we know the where, we need to plan on what to take with us. Being a woman, of course I want to take everything. I think we all know that is not feasible. So, I am going to try and think of REALLY good reasons to take everything I can, and it must all fit into the vehicles I can take with me. What this means, is that by the time I need to move, I will have 3 drivers. That means that I can take 3 vehicles. Break that down into the three most useful vehicles in this situation, and I have come up with these: a box truck, a motorhome, and a truck or 4x4 type vehicle.

The box truck allows me to take furniture, bedding, appliances, and such. The motorhome ensures that when we arrive, if the houses on the property are so run down that they are unliveable, we have someplace to sleep ( and I can take more stuff!). The truck type vehicle is for driving around on the property. From what I understand, the mountain is in the middle and takes several hours to drive to over the lumpy bumpy ground. A truck will by far be the most useful once we arrive, and I think these three will do nicely for me. Now, how close am I right now to having these? I have 2 out of 3. The third will be purchased by spring. Dont go thinking I am out of my gourd and throwing money out the proverbial window on vehicles I dont need. I actually need each of these things now, so they will be put to good use in the mean time.

Now that I know how much space I have to pack my stuff, what am I going to take? Obviously every bed I can get my hands on. And with beds, you have blankets, sheets, pillows, and the like. My next most important items will be every article of clothing and pair of shoes I can get my hands on, even if they dont fit anyone. We will take the stuff that doesnt fit us because I expect to have quite a bit of company out there. If something doesnt fit me, it will fit someone. If it isnt fit to be worn, it comes with anyway. It can always be used for something else, which brings me to my next 'necessity': sewing machines. And not just any old sewing machine will do. I will bring all the old fashioned, people powered treadle sewing machines I can. These machines may be 100 years old, but they were made to last and they have. Besides, they require NO ELECTRICITY. These are not just necessities, but essentials. (Cue the ifs again) If, if, if, all the worst things happen, then we may need to make our clothing, our bedding, our shoes, and all kinds of other things. I do not intend to walk around in rags. Treadles could be considered tools, so I will lump all other tools in here. This list off the top of my head should be a good start. I any of you dear readers would like to offer suggestions or notice something I have missed, PLEASE post it. You may save someones life someday.

TOOLS

BFH, (big f-ing hammer, for those who arent familiar) Oh hell, just make it every size hammer you have. Screwdrivers, wrenches, vise grips, pliers (all sizes) wire cutters, shovels, rakes, hoes, and so on and so on.... lets leave the tools up to the men. I would suggest having sharpening tools for axes, saws, knives and such. I will also suggest (it should be mandatory) to bring along the biggest generator you can get ahold of. Of course please feel free to convert it to run on water. And while we're on the subject, if the idea of free energy seemed futile to you before, please rethink the subject now, while you have time. Look up the multitude of free energy generators on the internet, get the plans to one that interests you and BUILD IT. I am.

COOKING/EATING/CLEANING

Okay, so I'm lumping them together. I married a chef, they do go together. He cooks, we eat, then we argue over who has to clean up! Seriously though, we really must give this a lot of consideration. Obviously bringing the pots and pans, silverware, and cooking utensils, and all the soap you can is important. Certainly they are must haves. But there are issues here that go beyond the stainless steel and ceramic. WHAT will we eat? Well for us meat eaters, there are plenty of buffalo, cattle, pigs, chickens, antelope, etc., still roaming free. (Horses too, but even I wouldnt eat one of those) Remember when I said it was a ranch? Well, it wasnt that long ago. One of the uncles ran it as a cattle ranch. When he quit, he just opened the fences and let go free the animals that were left. Yes PETA, he still takes feed out there, but for all intents and purposes, they are all wild now. We will definately need some hunting tools, guns, bows and arrows, that kind of stuff. So, the subject of meat is take care of. Here is where it starts to get a little tricky. With the exception of the lone mountain, the land is all flat and dry. Remember when I said the mountain would be the only source of water? I meant it. The land is DRY. Nothing grows on it except scrub and grain. I think one of the most important things we need to consider (after building a water collector/storer) is what to grow, where to grow it and how we will get the job done. Keep in mind that I really think we will only have about 5 years before we need to head underground. The water collection system will have to be accessible there. We will also need to grow our veggies inside the mountain. Until the move inside though, we can grow whatever we can providing we figure out how best to irrigate the crops. Once we get food to grow, we will need to can it, and store it. The less refridgeration we need, the better. Remember those 'free energy generators'? Insert the need HERE. I almost forgot to mention that the more seeds or seedlings we can bring with us, the better. Seeds may be one of the first things the stores run out of. Plan ahead, and save your seeds now.

Well, that is quite a bit of info. I think I will sum up here and let you, the reader, ponder and comment if you desire. OASN I have tried to write this numerous times, but something always stopped me. Maybe it was the medium I was planning to use. Whatever it was, I am glad I am doing it now.

NECESSITIES SUMMARY

Okay, our plan for bugging out when necessary includes:
Picking your survival sight. You may decide that the sight I chose does not fit you. That is fine, the most important thing is to weigh your options, and then make the best decision you can. There is no right or wrong answer for this, I am not even sure that the place I picked is correct, however, it is accessible to me anytime I wish. ( A definate benefit of marrying the oldest son of the oldest son!)
Knowing how many drivers, and which vehicles you will need for the trip and for surviving.
Basics like beds, bedding, clothes, shoes, tools, sewing machines, cookware, and seeds.

Please keep in mind that this list is a BASIC list. I believe we are all smart enough to know that if we bring something that has accessories or attachments, or even associated items, those need to come too. A hammer does no good if we have no nails to use it on.

The next installment will deal with what we will need to build our underground shelter, from the equipment we will need, to the amount of space to create, it will be an extraordinary undertaking to say the least!

Southwest crash at Midway.














On Thursday, the Midwest was hit by a snow storm that started somewhere near the Rocky Mountains, and travelled all the way to the Atlantic Ocean by Friday. Thursday evening, after it had been snowing in Chicago for about 5 hours, a Southwest Airplane was trying to land at Midway Airport. The runway conditions were less than desirable and the plane ended up sliding down the runway and right into traffic, killing a 6 year old boy who was a passenger in an SUV that the nose of the plane landed on.

This evening, I received this email containing 3 arial photographs of the scene the day following the accident. I am only showing 2 of the photos. The email contains the photographers account of obtaining the photos. These pictures are his property and came to me second hand. For more information about his services, please go to his website. And Allan, I hope you dont mind me sharing this with a few of my friends.

HERE IS HIS STORY

Photos taken by Allan Goldstein.

Subject: Southwest airlines accident aerial photographs

I was able to overfly the Southwest Airlines accident at Midway airport and got a whole series of aerial photos. I have included 3 three of them here. Sadly, a little boy was killed when the engine crushed the car he was in. This is the first and only fatality Southwest has had in its' 35 year history.In order to accomplish this photo mission, I called Midway tower on the phone and talked with the tower operater who said we could do it. However, when I was near the area, the tower controller said the City of Chicago did not want any airplane overflying the site. She said I could hold outside the area and they would call the city and ask. After about 20 minutes and a few radios calls to them, they insisted the city did not want anyone overflying the area. I was pretty ticked off and reminded the controller that the airspace is NATIONAL airspace and should be open to everyone and the City does not have the right to prohibit aircraft from going anywhere. I told her I was going to head back to the airport, land and talk with someone from the city. (She gave me the phone number). About 2 minutes later, she came back and told me that if I still wanted to do the photo shoot, I have the permission to do so. What a surprise!! We went over the site and got about 70 images, both close up and wide angle. The 6500 foot runway leaves little room for error. Obviously most airliners land safely, but if there is a failure of any control, such as brakes, engine, thrust reversers, spoilers or flight crew, the landing is in jeapordy.