Firstly, I feel obligated to say that I've not gone into "freak-out" mode regarding the swine flu epidemic. I don't believe this will turn into an end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it scenario. But it has gotten me thinking...
Can we handle it if our city/county/state shuts down for 5 days like Mexico did? Easily. Our freezer still has plenty of meat and veggies in it, plus we have dry goods like flour, pasta, and rice. Also we have about 30 gallons of water stored. Realistically, I'd say we have more than 3 weeks but less than a full month's worth of food.
How do I feel about our level of preparedness? I'm not sure. On one hand, I know we're better prepared than the average American. On the other hand, there's still a lot of things I wish we had, like an emergency power source. Still, I believe we are well-equipped for a short-term disruption of normal life.
Long term disruption? Not so much.
This is where I start wishing we lived farther away from the city. South Bend isn't big, but there are enough people close-by that we might still be victims of rioting/looting/civil unrest. I wish we had goats and chickens for a sustainable supply of eggs, meat, and dairy. Shayne was kind enough to give in to my desire to have laying hens, but in return, I promised we'd finish the projects we had going before I started another. So, no chickens yet. I'd even been contemplating not getting chickens at all until we move, but I think I'd feel much better knowing we had some kind of self-sustaining food source. Note to self: finish upstairs, buy hens.
I also wish I had a veggie garden. I know it's not yet too late to plant one, but we're trying so hard to finish our current projects before starting new ones. I don't know what to do here... I suppose I could plant a small garden, with plans to expand it next year. That makes the most sense. I have a feeling if I just jumped in with a big garden, I'd be overwhelmed pretty quickly! I guess I should start looking at how much space I'll need for a small garden of broccoli, carrots, peas, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, and corn.
1 comment:
I hear you sister.....yesterday I inventoried the pantry, stored water for cleaning, cooking, and bought a few gallons for drinking. We've begun to buy more lamplight lanterns and oil - one for every room in the house. No more random burning the cypress and pecan limbs that come down...the large ones are being "logged" for fireside cooking. Next on the list is propane for the old campstove, a car charger for the recharger batteries.
And we started the chicken living thing...got us five to date...just finishing up the coop and moving them out there.
We've talked about putting in a whole house generator for a few years now but never seem to make it a priority...I'm rethinking that at the moment.
Living in hurricane land has shown us to always keep some things on hand otherwise you spend an entire paycheck and days finding those last minute things....
You're on the right track.
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