Be prepared with a traveling kit.

See this outgrowth from the big log? It reminds me that strange things can happen to you at the most inopportune moments.
My husband's first visit to a doctor after we retired occurred as a result of us not being prepared. We had gone out to eat at a seafood place in Florence, Oregon, with the entire family. Seeing that oysters were fresh and reasonably priced, he ordered and consumed way too many of them, in various combinations.  By bed time, his face had begun to change shape, growing unusual protrusions and changing colors.  He was having a mean allergic reaction and we rushed to the hospital.

There, he spent a night being cared for, medicated and watched over.
Since then, he has given up oysters, but I still carry something in my purse for such an eventuality.

Back pain, allergies, headaches and stomachache can interfere with your daily life away from home.
So, what do I carry in my purse at all times?

Always:
1. Aspirin
2. Benadryl for allergies
3. A list of medicines and doctors
4. A snack
5. A water bottle

Sure, the car has a first aid kit too. But, I could be stuck on an elevator, and having an aspirin, a snack and water can sure make my/his wait for help a lot more enjoyable.

Ants on a Log..

No amount of preparation and worry will save us from the forces of nature.
This thought has lingered with me ever since Friday's event in Japan.  We are ants on a log in all this drama. Infinitesimally small and insignificant in the big scheme of things.  We can rebuild, pray, create stronger abodes, move to higher ground for a while.

Then, we will forget again.
We will roam the earth looking for adventures and opportunities.
We will feel powerful and strong again.  We'll encourage engineers and architects to build bigger and stronger structures to withstand bigger and stronger events.  Our technology and our tools will improve and we will gain another stronghold in history. 

Our small town was spared the power of tsunami waves last Friday.  Other towns, up and down the coast were not so lucky.  Our elementary school is sitting low. In an event like this, our children will have less than fifteen minutes to walk away from sure destruction. 

These are the thoughts we are exchanging  on this beautiful shore after a destructive event the power of which was unimaginable.

No Day like Today!

We are on the Pacific Coast, in the area of the Ring of Fire, the area  most susceptible to earthquakes and volcanoes.  Sea stacks tell us the story of this land and of this ocean.

Yesterday was another wake up call.  A call to know our limitations.
We can move somewhere else, or  prepare for the next calamitous event.


We  have two identical backpacks in our car, with supplies for a couple of days, plus blankets, extra jackets and shoes, medications.

I've had these supplies for a while. I refresh them every season or so, eat up the food and drink up the water and update the meds.  We take many meds, and this process of updating them is probably the toughest thing to accomplish since pharmacists do not give you extra meds for emergencies. 

Do you feel safe where you are? Good.
Do you want to be prepared for emergencies?
I will repost my backpack contents on my next post. If you are in a hurry, search my old posts, copy and paste, if you wish. You have my blessings and permission.

Sometimes, that's all we can do.

Volcanic Ashes and other Emergencies

There is a game I play before I blog: I begin by randomly selecting a picture and posting it before I know what it is.  Today's choice is an arch somewhere in France, in one of those mountain top towns that remind me of  places I knew as a child. 

That green arch at the end made me think of how we go through passages in life with confidence and faith because we identify the exit strategies, and are prepared for the journey.

The game is to relate the picture to an issue in the news.
 Here is my take: the volcanic ash cloud is stopping all air traffic in Europe and in other parts of the world. How do people cope with these things?

At any moment, in our lives, something can break, someone can be injured, something can be damaged beyond repair.  We must know what to do at those times, how to wait it out, or fight it out. We must have a backpack handy with exit strategies. 

At  school when the fire bell rang,  you lined up quietly, and filed out in single line.  You worried about nothing else except to reach the exit and the designated place of reunion.  Go, go! That's all there was. Survival mode. You didn't whine; you didn't call your mom; you didn't blame anybody for the inconvenience.

What if I'm caught under this structure and all exits are barred?
What do I have with me that I can use?
We must all think like McGiver: a bit of string, a bobby pin, a lipstick cilinder, saliva and credit card we will concoct a communication device or a breathing device until help arrives.

You see, the more emergencies situations you experience, the more ideas you will have accumulated to prepare you for the next one. I bet we all carry our cell phone with us no-matter where we go. But, what if that ash cloud interrupted all communication?

So, are you stuck somewhere in an airport waiting for that volcanic ash cloud to dissipate? You are bound to come up with lots of exit strategies in the next week. 

Fill a Backpack.

Thanks to Everyday Goddess for awarding this post the weekly shout-out!



This weekend, we were reminded to be prepared for an emergency.

I'm a veteran in these matters. My family experienced many earthquakes in California, and a couple of tsunami warnings here in Oregon.

What I have in my backback, one per person, are standard supplies.  If I am away from home, at work, at the grocery store, at a party, and I am stranded, my backpack will support me for a couple of days.  It is portable, in case I need to abandon the car.


Here is my top ten:

1. medications
2. water
3.first aid kit
4.flashlight with extra batteries
5. blankets and tarps
6. radio and extra batteries
7. whistle
8.deodorant/toothbrush/chapstick
9.change/money in small denomination
10. snacks

You can see from the pile on the sofa, all these items will fit easily in a backpack.  You can stuff the backpack; just be sure  you can carry it easily if you have to walk out of danger.

We have been stuck outside, in the cold,  during the January 1994 Northridge Earthquake, and what we needed most, after blankets, was a bottle  of Mylanta.  The local drug store didn't take checks.

If you are trapped or injured, a whistle will help you signal for help. Water is more important than snacks; and prescription medications should be the first thing on your list.

While you are assembling your car kit, double up and make a kit for an elderly relative or neighbor.
I hope you'll never have to use this kit.