Thanks, APN, for the new masthead!

Yeah, computer ingenuity is not my forte, but I appreciate others' talents in this area--in this case, thanks to APN, for the new and improved masthead for the Idaho Preppers Network! I think this is a great example of the beauty of Idaho....

It's that supply thing again...

And it looks like a lack in the supply is coming, and staying for awhile according to the links in this post over at Coffee with the Hermit. The supply-demand balance, especially for things like wheat, is at a scary point. Can't hurt to have some food storage set aside, because even if there is still supply, looks like the prices won't go anywhere but up, at least for a while.
Thanks, Hermit Jim, for the info!

Humor can be relative...

Received the following e-mail message recently in my inbox recently (sorry that I don't know the original source, but thanks, whoever you are) :

The Government has issued a travel warning due to the cold weather.


They suggest that anyone travelling in the current icy conditions should make sure they have the following:

Shovel
Blankets or sleeping bag
Extra clothing including hat and gloves
24 hours worth of food
De-Icer
Rock Salt
Flashlight with spare batteries
Road Flares or Reflective Triangles
Empty gas Can
First Aid Kit
Booster cables


I looked like an idiot on the bus this morning!

End of e-mail

Ok, I thought this was pretty clever when I saw it. Here's the thing--with the weather in Illinois, many people had problems (whether they were in a bus or in their cars) last night and this morning, and I bet they wouldn't find the thought of having extra supplies with them in their situation very amusing. You can read about it here. Just something to think about--during cold, wintry weather (or any weather, really) you might want to think about packing a little something along with you if there's any possibility you might find yourself stranded--in a car, bus, or wherever you may be...

Gotta love info from other blogs....

Not that much from me in this post--just links to a couple of posts that you might be interested in:

1.) On my other blog yesterday I mentioned the cost of tortillas (and will ask the same question here: Has anyone else noticed the price going up? I didn't buy tortillas last time I was shopping because the cost of a large package was closer to $5.00 than $4.00, which to me was not worth it...) and linked to the tortilla recipe that I use, which is here. Then, imagine my surprise when I headed over to Preparedness Pro, and there were not only many uses for tortillas in this post, but also many that you might want to check out the comments there as well, since there are more great ideas there too--gotta love variety and options.

2.) Over at My Adventures in Self-Reliance, there is a great list of some sales that you might be interested in. The more money you can save, the more you have with which to prepare for emergency situations... :)

Well, thanks to My Adventures in Self-Reliance and Preparedness Pro for sharing their info--sometimes one of the best ways to prepare is to gather as much information as you can...

Gotta love snowbibs for $3.50

I just got back from Wal-Mart, and they are having a great deal on snowbibs and coats. We're talking $3.50 or $3.75 for the snowsuits (the cashier thought it was weird that they were ringing up different prices, but I'm not going to complain when the original price was $15.00.) There were a variety of coats for $13.00 each. So if you want to put some clothes away for the future, or just replace something now, you might want to check out your local Wal-Mart and see if it is having the same deals. The one near us has this sale for today, tomorrow, and Sunday, but at these prices, don't know how long they'll last, or how long you will be able to find the sizes you want/need. I know, that sounds like a commercial, but hey, like I've said before, if someone gives me a good deal, I don't mind giving them a little free advertising... :)

Thing is, I might not have noticed this had it not been for a cashier who mentioned to me earlier this week that the snowbibs that we could see against the wall in the distance were going on sale today for $3.50. They were closer to the exit that I don't frequently use, so I may have missed out entirely. Then, this morning, I thought, "Wow, it's Friday already!" Then later I thought, "Wow, I should have already blogged about this!" So now I have, and it's only Friday morning, so hopefully that will be enough time for everyone. Thanks, friendly cashier, for the great customer service! If you want to take advantage of the sale, I hope it's happening near you--never hurts to call if you're not sure.....

But what about medication?

I recently learned about a situation where someone went in for a spinal tap in order to get symptoms diagnosed. After waiting the designated time period for the results, an appointment was made so that there could be an analysis made about the findings from the spinal tap. The person received a call the day before the appointment and was told that the appointment was cancelled, due to the fact that there could be no analysis made on the spinal tap because there were no test kits available.

Well, one might reasonably say, send elsewhere for the test kit. Another lab, perhaps. This person was told there were no kits available at another lab. In fact, there were no other kits available throughout the person's state.

In fact, there were no kits available in the entire country.

This hits me as wrong on many levels, not the least of which is that the person in question had to undergo a spinal tap when there was no way that it was going to be analyzed. (Which begs the question as to why it had to be done at all, if there was no benefit to be had...) But the person relating the particulars of the situation to me said that in many cases, the U.S. as a nation is dependent on other countries for many of our medications, and that many people who need such medications would find themselves in trouble if we were to be cut off from our sources for any reason. It was pointed out during the course of our conversation that in terms of emergency preparedness, people who need medications would be wise to stock up as much as possible to avoid problems in emergency situations.

I was thinking also that it would be at the very least inconvenient if something like Tylenol (or insert your preferred pain reliever here) were unavailable for minor pain issues before, during, and/or after an emergency situation. When you are preparing, you might want to take medical supplies into consideration, whether it be what would be needed if the emergency involved injuries, or whether it is regular medication that might not be immediately available when a crisis occurs. For example, if you have a regular prescription, you may want to refill it as soon as allowed so that you have as much on hand as possible. If you are allowed to fill it a week before it is due to run out, it would be wise to do so. To find out what is allowed you could talk to your pharmacist. It can't hurt to ask your doctor if you can keep a supply on hand...

About those gardening classes...

Well, I have a flyer about the gardening classes that I mentioned in my last post. Thing is, when I went to the website that I linked to, the class list was different, so I called the number on the flyer and asked about that. I was informed that the class for this year is going up this afternoon, so make sure if you are interested and look at the schedule that the year's date is 2011. Yeah, didn't notice that the first time around, and when I just now checked it again, the 2010 dates are still up, so it will not be until later this afternoon, apparently.

Whew. Ok, I'm done now.... :)