Goodness, what do I do--put on my flowered frock (with matching hat) and say, "I declare this forum well and truly open?" "God bless this forum and all who sail in 'er?" No, the former requires a bouquet, the latter a bottle of bubbly. Let's keep it simple.

Whoooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!

Howzat?

Okay, fun's over, now to serious business.

As I get older I get more concerned about being left high and dry by a hurricane (so to speak), tornado, or other natural disaster--or my own or a family member's illness or injury. Added to that is my knowledge of the fragility of Just-in-Time (JIT) delivery systems and a heritage of wildcat strikes (UK). I often thought I'd like to have some supplies stored away, and in fact already had about two weeks of the crucial stuff (cat litter and cat food!) and at least a week's worth of less crucial supplies.

One of the many factors influencing our decision to store supplies was our experience after Hurricane Fran. I was almost physically attacked by a woman--a very prosperous-looking, well-dressed woman--while waiting in line for ice, because I got the last bag. Only the intervention of the Kroger manager defused the situation. I knew from my police scanner that fights broke out when 50 generators were delivered to a Home Depot and that another fight broke out when a gas station ran out of gas. There may have been other incidents; I don't know. Those were enough for me. I knew I didn't want to be "out there" in line within a few days of a disaster occurring.

We had the foresight to cash a check before Fran arrived. Good thing we did, because nobody was taking checks or credit cards, even where we were known. Hence, we now keep a cash stash hidden away.

Around mid-July last year, Sweetie came home and explained about Y2K. It was our catalyst to store a bit more than one or two weeks of supplies. At first we had a goal of a month. Then we went to a couple of months, then three. Now we're at six. We feel comfortable with that; you may not. You may think it's too little--or too much. But it's OUR comfort level. We have not gone into debt to prepare, although we might have if we had only just found out and wanted to get a quick start to feel a little more secure.

The point of this long boring story is, IT IS PRUDENT to have some supplies stashed, to whatever comfort level is right for you. No fair to criticize someone because they feel a week's worth of stuff is sufficient and you're still wondering if five years is enough. If that's what they want, we'll help them choose those supplies so that their money goes the furthest and the quality of the supplies is the best we know about. We have a little under six months before the rollover--and maybe less than that before a hurricane or tornado knocks out the power and other services. Let Y2K be YOUR catalyst; don't be caught short.

There are plenty of sites on the Net which will advise how much food and water to have on hand for each family member; in fact, I'd like to start things off by asking you all to provide your favorite advice sites. I hope others will start threads on their favorite food suppliers and that Taz will post the instructions for her "bush box" (among other contraptions she's built and tested).

C'mon, flex those fingers, get those posts typed and posted! Put a fresh cartridge in those printers, start your files of hard-copy info! Let's get to it!

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), July 05, 1999

Answers

Wow!!! Its open...sorry old Git, had to go and get a cuppa coffee and put my feet up and relax before reading your commentary. Relaxed is the key word here. And by preparing or being prepared, it will bring relaxation and a sense of security and even a little peace of mind. Its true we cannot prepare for everything. We, like Sweetie and Old Git, are prone to hurricanes thus always have some stash both in food/water and cash. But with y2k we have extended our preps to last a year with contributions from the hen house and the garden. We cannot prepare for in coming missles, or biological warfare or other means of terrorism that can take place in this screwed up world of today. But let me tell you something that I learned thanks to Mt. St Helen's eruption. When your life is in chaos its bad enuff...but when your immediate needs of some, even a little bit, of shelter, food, even if its a can of cold carrots, and water are taken care of, you are then much better prepared to think rationally about the greater scope of the problem. Its like the old saying, "when you are up to your a-- in alligators, its hard to remember that you need to drain the swamp". We all have little tricks of preps up our sleeves, especially old ladies like Old Git and me. So lets hear 'em. And yes, Old Git, I will put the directions of my "bush box" on here as soon as my pot roast comes out of it and I can measure a few things. With a great deal of warmth, I welcome this forum.

Taz...who has been there and done that a whole lotta places and times.... and expects to go there again!!

-- Taz (Tassie @aol.com), July 06, 1999.

Congratulations on this new forum. Thanks to Big Dog and everyone involved in the painstaking work to bring it up.

I will pray that this endeavor is blessed and that it may be an instrument to save lives...or at the very least, help us chicken farmers learn how to handle scrapping roosters.

My hopes and dreams for everyone here.

-- INVAR (gundark@sw.net), July 06, 1999.

It would just figure that OGit takes the limelight and posts first :o)

Does it feel like home?

-- Brian (imager@home.com), July 06, 1999.

Ah, you noticed. Sharp little bugger, aren't you? Yes, well, I've been kissing, um, ar, ah, well, that is, I've been VERY NICE to important people--I have CONNECTIONS, chum! Besides, I told 'em if they didn't let me post first I was going to metamorphasize into a troll named Zucchini--not only prolific but you simply cannot get rid of it!

Absolutely, yes--at home. I feel very relieved we have a place where we can come and swap practical and useful information, suitable for all disasters, with the knowledge that any pests will be quickly zapped. You can see I had completely lost patience--I do not suffer fools gladly.

And, in spite of risking accusations of trying to shill for you and somehow make money off it, I have to say again what a marvellous job you've done on the indexing. This forum would have been possible without it, sure, but you've made locating info practically effortless--and what an extraordinary timesaver! More bouquets to Diane, too, who is keeping an eagle eye out for pertinent threads on Old TB and posting links here.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), July 06, 1999.

What a treat! I am so excited about having somewhere to look for information without wading through the....I'll be nice!

I am looking forward to reading all the great info you guys have to pass on.

Although not really in a disaster prone area (central Georgia), I grew up a military brat. With Dad getting paid once a month, Mom always bought a month's worth of groceries at a time. So I grew up with a well stocked pantry. In fact, if I do not have a months supply of food in my house at any given time, I feel very insecure. How is that for being a product of your upbringing? So you can imagine what Y2K worries are doing to me! :)

Right now I have a year of food put up, and am still buying. Sure alot of it will be to 'share' with others who need it. But I panic at the thought of no food in my house. The food buying and storing I can handle, but I will be eagerly watching for information on everything from growing MORE FOOD to protecting what I have.

Thanks so much to ya'll for your hard work!!

-- Dian (bdp@accessunited.com), July 06, 1999.

A post from the old forum about dutch oven fuel economy mentions a farmer's box that sounds much like Taz'z bush box. It was written by nine, with a good contribution by Paul Milne. Sorry, hotlink challenged...

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=000Oz7

-- flora (***@__._), July 06, 1999.

Drinks... being served...

In Honor Of The NEW... TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) Preparation Forum... And BigDog & Chuck

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 0012yB

And for Old Git...

Dont work too hard!

Take time to flit among the flowers.

And watch them grow! (Next to the veggies).

Go, Old Git! And... shes off and running!

;-D

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), July 06, 1999.

LOL! Looks as if I'm burying someone in that first picture--who could it be??? No running, not any more, try "fast lurching"! Thanks for the artwork!

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), July 07, 1999.

Gosh it's so nice in here. All clean and spiffy. What a joy to come and talk about what is really important. I have about 6 months worth of supplies. I have a bit more of some things and a bit less of others. I find it is hard to keep track of it all and chase after 2 little girls (4&5) also. It is hard to do all this at my age. The girls are the reason I prepare. My hubby thinks this will be a bump in the road and so I have had to do all the preparations by myself. I am getting there and I feel better knowing we are prepared for anything. I take several medications for high blood pressure and ulcerative colitis. Since I learned about Y2K, I have ben stockpiling as much med. as possible. Without advance planning, I would be in deep dodo. This board is a lifesaver.

-- Homeschooling Grandma (mlaymon@glenn-co.k12.ca.us), July 07, 1999.