Okay I am a home stager. I often advertise that I stage not only to sell, but stage to live, stage to work and am even throwing in my hat at Staging for seniors. Today I realized that I could add one more - I have now Staged for Survival.
Sounds drastic doesn't it? Today I purchased a day-glo orange rubbermaid bin that you can't miss - even in the dark. I wanted something that I would stand out even without a flash light. I wanted somewhere to put all of the great items that saved me and helped me survive this week without power.
I have lived in Hawaii with Hurricaine season, in Arkansas with tornado season and in New York with just plain winter. I have always had a survival kit for the various natural occurances that could take place. I didn't make one after we moved to Kentucky. For some reason I guess I thought that there were no real threats from natural disasters. How wrong I was!
Most of the things I could tell you to put in your Survival kit are common sense - batteries, change of clothes, water, candles, a radio. All of the things that you are told you might need in an emergency. I don't want to insult your intellegence but here are a few things that really helped this week:
*A camp stove - little coleman deal that has a small propane canister in the middle and can heat up water or a can of speghettios in no time. Make sure to have a quart sized pan - not just a frying pan. It is hard to pour boiling water out of a frying pan.
* Flashlights with LED lights that are small enough for a child to hold and turn on alone.(If you have children)
* A phone book that is current - needed that on several occasions
* wool socks!!! Not just warm socks, but wool socks like of the Smart Wool variety. It will make a tremendous difference in your outlook when your feet are not cold. All I know is that I ate crow this week with the wool socks. My husband has been telling me for years that the best way to stay warm when out in the elements is to make sure you have good quality socks. I just filed that little nugget of info away in my mental rolodex, thinking I will never go camping - what do I have to worry about? Well when my feet were freezing the rest of me was cold. I had to concede that when I finally dug out my wool socks, I felt so much better.
* Heavy work gloves - these will keep you warm and will not get destroyed when moving tree limbs
* Extra towels - we used them for all sorts of things especially tucking into door and window frames to keep the cold air out.
* A 1000 piece puzzle. It will give you something to focus on aside from your predicament and the whole family can help.
* a can opener and a knife and a metal spoon - don't forget the soap to clean them!
* paper and pencil - you will need to write on something when the radio gives off phone numbers you need.
* Checks from your checking account. When the computers are down, there is no ATM or debit cards at the check out. Thank God we had checks!
* Some kind of hat. Not showering every couple of days is awful - thank God for my baseball cap!
* Travel sized games - they will help pass the time and you won't miss them when they are packed away.
* Toiletries - ESPECIALLY baby wipes and GermX. They are great substitute for cold water and a wash cloth.
* First aid kit with children's Tylenol as well as Motrin.
Of course my frame of reference for this is Kentucky's recent ice storm. I also had a child to keep entertained. Some of you will have babies and many children. Some of you will be alone. Anyway ... this certainly isn't an exhaustive list and you can tailor it to your needs. I am sure that some of you have some additional great tips for me to add to my orange box.
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